


One Chilly Afternoon

by caidanu (Zanya)



Series: One Chilly Afternoon Verse [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: AU, Anal Sex, Eventual Smut, Humor, M/M, Masturbation, Mild Language, Mild OoC, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-02
Updated: 2014-04-10
Packaged: 2018-01-14 07:43:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1258432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zanya/pseuds/caidanu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sai has trouble dealing with the lack of inspiration, then he sees his best friend's neighbor. Itachi thinks he may have a problem with another stalker. Naruto thinks ritualistic mating habits of gay specimens should be included in his porn novel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [monaps](https://archiveofourown.org/users/monaps/gifts).



Itachi brushed his bangs out of his eyes and shifted in his seat, trying to find that one spot that would feel most comfortable. Even though he had his hair pulled back out of his face a few strands always fell out of the hair tie and got in the way and made his face itch. Leaning back into the chair, he looked around Naruto’s apartment while he sat at the small round kitchen table.

It amazed him how neat and orderly Naruto kept it considering every thing else about his friend was chaotic at best. And the décor wasn’t loud or ugly, which surprised him since Naruto always had a flair for bright colors. Even now Naruto had dressed himself in a bright orange hoodie and torn up blue jeans. His hair messy in only a way Naruto could pull off and still look good. 

Instead, the living room had been done with ivory walls and black trim. The stereo system and TV were neatly kept on the far left wall and black walnut entertainment center. The couch and lounger were both black leather. 

The kitchen opened up directly to the living room with only an open countertop separating them. It had the small table that could seat up to four. The countertops were a black and gray marble and the table and chairs oak. Naruto only had a microwave, toaster, and coffee pot on the counter. Considering Naruto's love for cooking, everything else had to be put away or else it would have looked like Top Chef had exploded inside the small apartment. 

The hallway from the living room led back to the two bedrooms and the bathroom. Simple yet tasteful.

A twinge of nostalgia squeezed at his gut over the thought that his little brother’s best friend had finally grown up.

Itachi adjusted to collar on his navy blue t-shirt. His fingers moved down across his jeans to smooth them out. “You have a nice place.” 

“Here.” Naruto set a black cup of coffee down in front of Itachi and sat down across from him. “I didn’t put anything in it because I know how picky you are about your coffee.”

“Thank you.” Itachi spooned some cream and sugar into the cup, making Naruto grimace. “I don’t know why you watch me every time when it grosses you out.”

Naruto chuckled. “Morbid fascination I guess. I don’t know how you can drink sweet coffee like that.”

“Easy. I just put a little sugar in it and drink.” A small smile played across Itachi’s lips. He couldn’t resist teasing Naruto whenever he asked an obvious question. 

“I see your sense of humor is still intact.” Naruto shook his head and laughed. “You look well.”

Itachi swallowed and set his cup down. “Thank you. As do you.”

“I try.” Naruto flashed Itachi a wide grin and flipped his hand through his hair dramatically. 

“More like you roll out of bed and call it good,” Itachi smiled, teasingly. He almost felt jealous that Naruto never put too much effort into his appearance and somehow managed to pull it off.

“Hey, it works.” They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, enjoying their coffee until Naruto asked the question Itachi knew would come. “So how long are you sticking around this time?”

“For awhile.” Itachi glanced down at his coffee and watched remnants of cream swirl around in it. 

After the fiasco with Sasuke, and his brief run in with the New York City police, he figured some time away would do both of them some good. Especially after the deal he had to cut in order to get Sasuke off the hook. Prison hadn’t been a viable option for his brother, and on that point they had disagreed, harshly. So Sasuke took off to Europe for year. 

Visiting Naruto brought him a relief he could not put into words. He needed a change, something different that would distract him for awhile. Naruto lived in a city that was small enough to enjoy some quiet but big enough to have enough places to go if he got bored. 

“I’m renting a place, two doors down from you.” Itachi stirred his coffee with a spoon before taking a sip. “I figured having you close by would be a refreshing change.”

“Really? You got a place already? You move fast. Super fast. You should’ve told me you were planning on moving here. Would’ve been fun to take you out and show you stuff.” Naruto grinned. “It’ll be nice to have you around, though. This place gets crazy sometimes. You always seem to bring a little sanity to the abnormal.”

“Sasuke would disagree with you I’m sure,” Itachi muttered. “How’s he doing anyway? Have you talked to him recently?”

“Yeah, about a week ago. You haven’t?” Naruto raised and eyebrow, surprised that Itachi hadn’t talked to his brother. “How long has it been? I thought you two worked things out?”

“He’s still sore about how things turned out. He didn't agree with my tactics for getting him released and apparently would rather rot in jail. You know how Sasuke can be.” Itachi didn’t bother telling Naruto it had been two months since he had last spoken to Sasuke and that only consisted of a brief two-minute conversation. He knew Naruto would try to get involved and help. That would make the situation worse. “Do you have a lot of friends here?”

“Eh, I mainly hang out with Sai.” Naruto shrugged his shoulders. “People come and visit sometimes. Kiba, Gaara, or I'll go see them but it's pretty much me and Sai most times. No one else lives nearby.”

“Who’s Sai?” The name sounded familiar to Itachi, but he couldn't recall if Naruto had mentioned him before or if Sasuke had.

“He’s, well, he’s my best friend I guess. I’ve known him since college. We were roommates in the dorm. At first I couldn’t stand him, but he grew on me.” Naruto smiled fondly at the memory. “Sai’s… a little weird sometimes. But he’s not so bad once you get used to him, and he's a damn good friend once you get past his bluntness and awkward habits.”

“I thought Sasuke was your best friend?” Itachi commented playfully and leaned closer to the table. 

“Pfft, you and Sasuke are family. He passed that milestone way back, probably around the time when we got caught having that huge party at your parents' house.” Naruto rubbed the edge of his coffee cup with his fingers. “Heh, I still remember calling you and asking to help get rid of everyone and the booze. And then we caught Kiba and Ino playing Seven Minutes of Heaven with a bunch of freshman.”

“Didn’t she end up dancing on the coffee table with a lampshade on her head?” Itachi asked. 

“No, that was my cousin Karin who did that. Ino was too busy trying to get blackmail material on everyone there by goading them into doing ridiculous things and then taking pictures of it on her phone.”

“Oh, that’s right. You had a hard time explaining to your mom and dad about why Karin had spent all night puking in the bathroom.” Itachi laughed, remembering the look on Naruto’s face when he had came home to help them out. 

“Yep.” Naruto laughed as well. “It didn’t help that she smelled like a brewery.”

“And pot. Don't forget all the weed you had stashed around the place that I had to hide before my parents came home,” Itachi paused before taking a drink of coffee. “I’ll always remember that terrified deer in the headlights look you two had when I showed up. Please help us, Itachi, we’ll do anything.”

“We had no idea their flight would be canceled and that they’d come home,” Naruto groused. “I thought your mom and dad were going to kill us. Just straight up murder us and bury our bodies in that one garden your mom had.” 

“You mean the big vegetable near the fountain?” Itachi asked.

“Yep, that one. I don’t think her rose garden was big enough for both of us.” Naruto’s eyes lit up, and he snapped his fingers. “Oh and then you tried to take the blame for us. Shit, I almost forgot about that. God, I don’t even know why either. We were so freakin bad all the time, and you always tried to bail us out of whatever mess we had gotten into.”

Itachi shook his head and looked at Naruto sternly. “You know, it would have worked if you hadn’t folded and come to my defense. I’m pretty sure Sasuke skinned you alive with his eyes.”

“Hey, I couldn't just let you take the fall for that shit. Your dad was talking about letting the cops come and throw your ass in the slammer. Though, looking back, I think he knew it was us and only said that so I'd come clean.” Naruto leaned back in his chair and put his hands around the back of his head. “Oh, man… good times.” 

“Indeed. You always did have that big gaping soft spot leaking out of your chest.” Itachi smiled softly at Naruto. “You could never lie if you thought someone you cared about would get in trouble for something you did.”

“Pfft, you're one to talk. No one has as much heart as you, Itachi,” Naruto counted, deciding to one-up him for fun. 

“Except for you,” Itachi smoothly replied. “You have me beat, Naruto and you know it.”

“Are we having a conversation or stroking each other off?” Naruto looked at Itachi slyly. 

“I don't think Sasuke would appreciate any stroking between us.” Itachi's lips quirked up into a half grin, half smirk. 

“What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” Naruto flashed Itachi a saucy grin. 

“Except, we're not in Vegas,” Itachi shrewdly remarked.

“Eh, details, details, nothing more.” Naruto waved his hand back and forth. “Looking back now, sometimes I wonder how Sasuke and I even survived our teenage years.”

“I have no idea. You were bad.” Itachi smiled fondly at Naruto. “You by yourself weren’t so bad. But then Sasuke would come up with one of his schemes and get you to go along with it. Then it’d snowball from there and all hell would break loose.”

“You’re not one to talk. I remember you doing some pretty suspect things too.” Naruto grinned, hoping to at least get Itachi flustered a little. “Like that time when we snuck out and followed you to that club.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Itachi said, feigning ignorance. “I was a good kid.”

“Right, a good kid who painted his nails black, dressed slutty, and went to night clubs to get lucky,” Naruto teased. “I’m pretty sure Sasuke is scarred from some of that.”

“I did not dress like a slut,” Itachi sniffed, turning his head upwards. “And it’s not my fault you followed me a few times.”

“We were bored and wanted to know where you were slinking off to in the middle of the night. If only your parents knew their good son had a naughty side to him.” Naruto’s arms flailed around wildly while he explained his reasoning to Itachi. 

“And they will never find out or else I’ll have to kill you,” Itachi warned teasingly. 

“Idle threats.” Naruto stretched his arms out, not used to sitting still for so long. “So, what's the inside of your place look like?”

“It's the same set up you have here from what I've seen so far.” Itachi picked up his coffee mug and took another sip. “Exactly same, actually.”

Naruto shrugged. “I figured. Most apartment complexes lack originality.” 

“It keeps the pricing down,” Itachi pointed out.

“Yeah, I guess that's a bonus.” Naruto cracked his neck and fidgeted in his seat. “I don't like paying more than I have to.”

“How’s everything else going for you? Have you written anything recently?” Itachi curiously asked. 

“I'm trying to, but so far I'm having a hard time finding the right kind of inspiration. Jiraiya wants me to adjust the content a little this time around.” Naruto scowled at the thought of his latest assignment. 

“What does that perverted old man want from you this time?” Itachi leaned forward in his seat. Jiraiya always had Naruto doing the craziest things in the name of research, which usually led to a good story and a lot of flailing on Naruto’s part. “He doesn’t have you sneaking into a women’s sauna again does he? I remember the last time he had you out researching for a new book, I barely managed to get you out with your skin intact.”

Naruto laughed loudly, remembering how terrible that one had gone. “No, no, nothing like that. He wants me to start writing—”

They were startled from their conversation when someone started knocking loudly on Naruto’s apartment door. Itachi looked up and saw Naruto roll his eyes. Interesting. Naruto hadn’t mentioned expecting company, yet he didn’t seem surprised by someone stopping by. 

“Go away, I have company.” The knocking only continued to get louder. Naruto let out a heavy sigh, and his hand came down harshly on the table. “Oh for fucks sake.”

“Ah, maybe that’s your friend, Sai?” Itachi couldn’t see Naruto yelling at stranger to go away. 

Naruto pushed back his chair and stood up, mumbling, “he’s not going to go away; the little fucker’s going to keep at it” and walked quickly to answer the door. The door knob barely turned when it flew open, almost taking Naruto out in the process. “Holy fuck, Sai. You almost smashed my damn head in!”

“Sorry to barge in, but I’m in a bit of a crisis.” Itachi watched Sai hastily grab Naruto's shoulders and shake him back and forth. “I can’t do it, Naruto. I haven’t been able to draw a damn thing for over a week and my deadline is due in two days.”

Itachi looked Naruto’s friend up and down, mildly amused by the tight black pants and mesh shirt underneath a black wool jacket. He even wore black gloves—that had the fingers cut out—to match. It wasn't everyday he saw someone in mid afternoon dressed like a Hot Topic disaster. Though, even he had to admit Naruto's friend didn't look terrible in the tight clothing. At least he kept himself fit. 

“Sai, now is not the time. I have company. And holy shit have you even bathed or brushed your hair today?” Naruto looked Sai up and down, noticing the unusual unkempt appearance. Sai’s hair looked a bit shaggy and there appeared to be a five o’clock shadow on his face. Naruto wrinkled his nose. “You look like hell.”

“Forget bathing and brushing my hair. Did you get the text I sent you a couple hours ago?” Sai gripped Naruto’s shoulders harder, the impatience in his voice growing. “The one where you’re supposed to help me come up with ideas? Why didn’t you return any of my texts?”

“No, I didn’t get it. I’ve been busy.” Turning Sai around so that they were facing Itachi, Naruto spoke slowly. “See… I… have… _company_. So you need to come back later or find someone else to give you inspiration and ideas. I don’t have time right now.”

When Sai didn’t respond, Naruto pulled on his arm, only he didn’t budge. Instead, he just stared at Itachi. “Wait…” He leaned forward, giving Itachi a once over. “hold on…” He pushed Naruto’s hand away and stepped closer. “I can’t leave now. No way in hell,” Sai whispered, glancing back at Naruto. “This is exactly what I need. I haven’t been able to paint in weeks. You didn’t tell me your friend looked like that.”

Itachi stopped midway from taking a sip of his coffee. He recognized that look. That same half-crazed look that every psycho stalker would throw his way back in high school and then through college. “Oh god. Not again,” he quietly whispered. 

“Sai…” Naruto’s voice took on a warning tone. “Don’t even think about it. Itachi is off limits. This isn’t one of your—”

“Nonsense Naruto. It’ll be fine. I just want to look at him.” Sai brushed Naruto off and walked towards Itachi, stopping when he only stood a couple feet away. “Yeah, this is perfect.”  
“Sai, don’t do it…” Naruto rushed forward but Sai easily side-stepped him. 

Moving closer to Itachi, Sai leaned down, his elbows resting on the table. “Hey can you pose for me nak—”

Naruto threw his hand across Sai’s mouth before he could finish and wrestled him towards the door. Itachi filled in the rest easily enough. Why couldn’t he have a quiet afternoon reminiscing with an old friend without something weird happening? 

Itachi watched the two of them—Naruto’s friend fighting the whole time—move around the kitchen and then partly into the living room while muffled sounds came from Sai. Naruto yelped, and Itachi was pretty sure Sai had bit his hand. 

Finally Naruto seem to gain some ground and moved them closer to the door. “Don’t pay any attention to him, Itachi. He likes to joke a lot is all.”

Itachi was pretty sure Naruto’s friend was dead serious. He didn’t look in any condition to toss jokes around. “I don’t know… He has that look, Naruto.” 

Naruto wrangled Sai with one arm while opening the door with the other. “I’ll call you,” he said, pushing Sai out into the hallway. “In, I don’t know, a couple days.”

“You can’t stop me, Naruto. I’ll be back tomorrow,” Itachi heard Sai call from outside the door. 

Naruto slammed his door shut and sighed. He turned around a look towards the kitchen. “Sorry about that.”

“Does that happen often?” Itachi was slightly impressed and more than a little surprised that the entire exchange happened in only a matter of minutes. Normally, it took more build up for hell to break loose like that. One minute he was talking and having fun, the next, Naruto’s weird friend wanted to paint him naked. Itachi could still feel the slight heat on his face from being asked so bluntly.

“Sometimes. No. Not really. I don’t know.” Naruto pushed away from the door and walked back to the kitchen. He sat back down, looked at Itachi, and sighed. “I really am sorry. Sai… can be a bit—”

“Flaming?” Itachi suggested. 

“Itachi! That’s not a nice thing to say.” Naruto looked around his apartment like the two of them weren’t alone. They probably weren’t totally. Itachi wouldn’t be surprised if his friend wasn’t waiting outside the door listening in. “He might hear you.” 

“It’s true. He might as well just light himself on fire and run through the streets.” Itachi watched Naruto nervously look towards the door. “It’s obvious which way he swings.”  
“No, it’s not that obvious—” 

“Naruto, your friend is the poster child for a modern gay man, living in the twenty first century. He has the expensive, tight, yet slightly feminine clothes all the way down to a scarf and gloves. The cherry: he’s an artist. And apparently has stalker tendencies.” When Naruto only gave him a blank look, Itachi rolled his eyes and sighed. “As a gay man, I can say that with certainty.” 

“I wouldn’t say Sai’s a stalker per se.” Naruto furrowed his brows in thought and then grumbled, “And I didn't know he was gay when we first met.”

“Somehow I'm not surprised. Observant you are not. And trust me, he’ll be back.” Itachi pushed his cup of coffee across the table. “Most likely he’ll come up with some lame excuse to talk to me. You didn’t tell him I visiting did you?”

“Okay, Yoda.” Naruto scratched the back of his neck and chuckled nervously. “Well, I may have mentioned it to him the other day.” Itachi frowned. “But to be fair I had no idea he’d react to you that way,” Naruto quickly added. “Maybe he’ll forgot or something. Or maybe he didn’t remember that I said you were staying with me. Sometimes he gets pretty immersed in his art that he forgets things.”

Naruto quickly looked away, not wanting to see _that_ look on Itachi’s face. The one that said thanks for nothing followed by an absolute scandalized glance by his lack of discretion. He shrugged his shoulders, unable to think of anything better to say on the matter. “Sorry. I’ll have a talk with him tomorrow.”

Itachi eyed Naruto skeptically, not really believing that Naruto’s talk would do much good. Despite Naruto's more spastic side, he had a big soft heart that usually got in the way. “If he comes back, I won't promise to be nice.”

“Don’t say that. Sai’s harmless. He just doesn’t get out much around other people.” Naruto looked almost depressed that Itachi would suggest otherwise. “I’ve tried taking him to the bar with me, but that never turns out well. He just needs to be around other people more, that’s all.”

Itachi chuckled. “Have you ever considered getting a leash for him?”

Naruto shot him a dirty look. “You are terrible sometimes. Everyone thinks you’re so nice and soft spoken. Little do they know what lies beneath.” 

“You’ve been watching too many late-night horror movies.” Itachi fingers traced the edge of the table, his head tilted down, almost hiding that half smile he often had. “I'm not some monstrous creature from the great beyond, lying in wait for hapless souls to devour.”

Naruto shook his head and laughed. Damn it felt good to have Itachi around. “Sure, sure, whatever you say. But still, be nice.”

Itachi only shrugged, not wanting to make a promise he couldn’t keep. “So, you said the other day you wanted to show me around?”

“Yeah,” Naruto said excitedly. “I can do that later on. There’s not much goin on now, but we should make plans.”

“Sounds good.” Itachi leaned back in the chair, grateful for the change in topic. If everything went the way he wanted, he’d soon have a quiet life and some peace. The only person who might pose a problem to that was Naruto’s friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this here since the person I wrote it for no longer goes to y!Gal. 
> 
> This story is finished. This is just a rewrite of a fic I wrote for the Itachi and Sai swap on y!Gallery a year ago. I'll be posting once a week. Probably on Sundays. 
> 
> This is for fun and not meant to be taken seriously. I tagged it mild ooc because it's AU and well, XD There's some mild ooc in this. 
> 
> The summary for this story is the exact prompt I got. Lol, once I saw it, I couldn't resist writing that one.


	2. Part Two

Itachi cracked and eye open and slowly sat up in bed when he heard someone knocking on his door. He still felt like he was chasing sleep when he realized that the knocks, which had started out lightly to where he could barely hear them, had escalated to loud, demanding raps. He had been dreaming that he and Sasuke were back in New York, discussing a trip to Vermont to visit their parents, when their annoying neighbors kept hitting the wall, repeatedly. Turned out whomever was at his door must have interrupted his dream. 

Glancing at his clock, he scowled and rubbed at his eyes. It read only six in the morning. Who in the world would be at his door this early in the morning? He doubted it was Naruto since he usually didn’t wake up until after ten at the earliest, and only then, if he absolutely had to get up. Itachi certainly hoped it wasn’t Naruto’s friend from yesterday but considering he didn’t know anyone else, that seemed the likely option. 

Rubbing his eyes again, Itachi yawned, pulled back the covers, and moved to the edge of his bed. When he went to stand up, his foot caught on the edge of the bed and he stumbled forward, stubbing his big toe on the corner of the dresser. “Ouch. Dammit.” He bounced around on one foot, righted himself a little, and stumbled until he reached the bedroom door. “This had better be important.”

Itachi rebounded, leaving his bedroom, and quickly moved down the short hallway, wanting nothing more than to get it over with. Gripping the door knob, he forcefully turned it and swung the door open. His frown deepened when he saw Sai standing there expectantly. 

Unfortunately, his brain must have still been asleep because he immediately noticed how Sai looked a lot better for the wear than the other day. His hair had been groomed neatly, and he had shaved. His clothes were also more toned down this time around. He only wore a simple gray shirt under his jacket and jeans. Itachi begrudgingly admitted to himself that Sai cleaned up well.

Itachi stood there, wearing only his navy blue sleep pants. He felt incredibly underdressed. He pushed his hair out of his face and sighed. “What do you want?”

Sai took in Itachi’s appearance before his eyes went lower. All the way down to Itachi’s crotch. “Looks like you’re happy to see me. Or is that only morning wood?”

Taking in a deep breath, Itachi let out an irritated grunt before bothering to reply. “How did you find out I lived here?”

“Naruto may or may not have slipped and mentioned something about it last night,” Sai answered calmly. “It’s amazing how easy he talks after several beers.”

Itachi frowned. He would have to have a little talk with Naruto when he saw him next. He knew how open Naruto got while drunk—he’d tell anyone his life story and then some. Apparently, the ‘and then some’ fell into that category last night. “What do you want this early in the morning?”

“Can you give me directions to the closest grocery store?” Sai casually asked like it was perfectly normal to knock on a stranger’s door and ask for directions at six in the morning. “I need to buy some milk.”

“Haven’t you lived in this town for awhile now?” Itachi maneuvered himself so he stood directly in the doorway, blocking any possible way for Sai to slip through. “Naruto told me you’ve lived here for as long as he has.”

“I seem to have forgotten how to get there.” Sai leaned in closer to door, his one arm on the frame and his other tucked into his coat pocket. 

“I’m sure you’ll find your way.” Itachi went to close the door, only to have Sai’s foot stop him. 

“Maybe you have some… milk I could borrow?” Sai pulled his hand out his pocket and put it on the door knob to prevent Itachi from closing the door further. 

“Is that what you call it?” Itachi scowled when Sai’s foot pushed further inside. “Move your foot before I break it.”

“Wait. Never mind the milk,” Sai quickly said, his voice sounding slightly panicked. “I wanted to stop by and see when I could come over to paint you. I just didn’t want to come over without another reason. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t say. I never would have guessed.” Itachi closed his eyes, hoping that maybe Sai would get the hint and leave. When he opened them back up, Sai was still there, watching him. “And you can’t. I have a no stalkers allowed policy.” 

“You don’t understand,” Sai tried to force his body further through the door, using his foot for leverage, “I’m not a stalker. I swear I’m not. I know it looks bad, but I haven’t been able to paint or draw for awhile now, and you’re just what I need for inspiration. You’re the only thing worth drawing and—”

“You'll have to find it somewhere—” Itachi stopped short when he noticed Sai looking at him curiously. “What?”

“Your hair is sticking up a little right there,” Sai's hand moved towards Itachi's left ear, then to the top of his head, “and there.” Sai leaned into to touch his hair, and Itachi pulled back. “It looks good on you. Slightly messy yet still refined. It matches your eyes.”

“Why are we having this conversation?” Itachi felt taken aback by the change in Sai’s tone. 

It sounded huskier than before. Sexier than it should have. He really needed to jerk off more often if he found Sai’s voice sexy. And how could messy and refined match his eyes? It didn’t make sense to him. 

Itachi stood up straight, determined not to get distracted by the change in Sai’s demeanor. “Shouldn't you be bothering Naruto? I hear he loves getting up this early in the morning.”

Sai smiled at him knowingly. “Very funny. I'm sure Naruto would have my balls in the palm of his hand by now if I woke him up now.”

“What made you think I would react any differently?” Itachi countered. 

“Do you really want my balls in the palm of your hand?” Sai’s smile grew slightly, almost a smirk if he hadn’t held back a little. “And I like it better like that. Your hair, I mean. Down instead of pulled back.”

“And we're back to that.” Itachi sighed, rubbing his eye for a moment. “Look... Sai, I don't know your game, but I'm not interested in playing. Consider me used goods, or whatever you have to do to convince yourself this won’t work, and find someone else to bother.”

Before Sai could respond, Itachi kicked his foot out of the way and slammed the door shut. Yeah, Sai wasn’t a stalker by any means. It was perfectly normal to bother someone he didn’t know at six in the morning to talk about painting and hair. 

Leaning against the door, he reveled in how good it felt to do that. Naruto. The little piss had a few beers and spilled everything to Sai. Naruto _owed_ him an explanation. At the very least he needed to talk to Sai about appropriate times to visit. Until then, maybe going back to bed and getting some more sleep would put him in a better mood. 

~*~

Naruto stepped inside Itachi’s apartment, amazed that everything has already been unpacked and in place. At least there were no boxes lying around that he could see. It had taken him two years to bother unpacking all his things. 

Itachi had been right. The apartment had the same basic set up his place did along with the ivory walls and black edging. The kitchen looked exactly the same too only the furniture was different. When he had first moved into his place, it had been furnished, and until a few months ago, he had finally called to have the original furniture moved to storage so he could bring in his own. Itachi had done the same it seemed. 

Instead of the brown weaved couch and recliner, a comfy looking cream-colored suede couch and loveseat had been moved in. The couch had a deep inset that looked big enough for two people to comfortably lie on. 

The end tables and coffee table were black, and he noticed that Itachi only had a small TV sitting on the entertainment stand. Even the table in the kitchen had been replaced with round table, which had a dark wood finish on top and black legs, and four matching wooden chairs. 

“I can’t stay long. Jiraiya wants to meet in half hour.” Naruto slipped off his shoes, but kept his light black jacket on, and closed the door. “I just wanted to stop by and check out your place.”

“It’s fine. I think I’m going to work today anyway.” Itachi yawned and stretched, causing his loose button-up shirt to ride up his pants and expose his stomach. He straightened himself out, smoothed down his shirt, and motioned Naruto towards the couch. “Sit down. Do you want something to drink? Coffee, tea, water?”

“No, I’m not going to be here for that long.” Naruto flopped down on Itachi’s couch. “So, how’s that going out for you, working from so far away?”

“It’s fine. I do most of it either through email or skype.” Itachi sat down next to Naruto and stretched his legs out. “They’re fine without me going into the office and hovering over them. Technically, I’m on leave right now, but I agreed to continue reviewing reports with the accounting.” 

“How’re things with every thing else?” Naruto asked. “Getting around town okay?”

“I’ve been mostly relaxing. My sleep schedule is still off, though.” Itachi rubbed his fingers across the fabric of the couch. “I haven’t really gone out except to the grocery store and a few other places.”

“Oh, which one you going to?” Naruto leaned back until his head settled nicely into the back of the couch. 

“The one two blocks down. Open during the night.” Itachi turned so that he faced Naruto. “I figured if your friend is that determined to stalk me, he won’t get any sleep doing it. He seems like an early riser.”

“So Sai has already stopped over then.” Naruto laid his arms across the back of the couch and smushed his body deeper into the cushions. He moved them down again and patted the cushions, impressed by how soft they felt. “Damn, this couch is comfortable. Where did you get all the furniture from? I thought it was already furnished?” 

“It was, but I didn’t like the colors so I went to that place near the mall. Holland Furniture I think it’s called. They do free delivery, and their furniture isn’t bad.” Itachi joined Naruto in his bliss and settled back into the couch. “And yes, he stopped by the other day, early. I had actually meant to mention it to you sooner, but I ended up distracted by other things.”

“How early?” Naruto didn’t think Sai would be that ballsy to stop by Itachi’s too early. Though once Sai wanted something, his patience quickly dissipated. 

“Six in the morning,” Itachi dryly replied. “And he apparently didn’t think there was a problem with that.”

Naruto grinned and whistled. “I have to give him that. He's got balls on him.”

“He didn't seem to keen on the idea of waking you up.” Itachi looked at Naruto knowingly. “I guess he’s already found out what a sweetheart you are first thing in the morning?”

“Yeah, that's because he knows I'd probably punch him in the face,” Naruto said, laughing. 

Itachi looked doubtfully at Naruto. “Would you really?”

“Well, maybe I'd give him a wedgie instead. But it'd be something terrible,” Naruto half-heartedly threatened. “It’s not like I haven’t punched him the face before, though.”

“You two have fought?” Itachi wasn’t sure why he even asked, but for whatever reason, he was curious about Naruto’s past with Sai. Maybe it would give him some leverage in case Sai came back.

“Oh, yeah, when we first met, all we did was fight.” Naruto chuckled. “And Sai may not look like much, but damn he can land a good punch or two.”

“I'll take your word for it,” Itachi muttered, not really interested in Sai’s fighting skills but the reason that caused it. “What did you fight about?”

“Sai was on a kick for a long time about how I didn't have a penis. He used to call me dickless every day. ‘Hey, dickless suck any good cock lately?’ ‘So dickless, what’s it like not having a penis?’ ‘Dickless, when are you going to finish transitioning into a woman?’” Naruto explained, waving his hand back and forth. “It never stopped until I did punch him in the face.”

Itachi laughed and turned his head towards Naruto. “He asked you when you would turn into a woman?”

“Yeah, he was always on about how I was really a male to female work in progress.” Naruto cracked his neck, rolling his head once before continuing. “I think he really just said all that stuff because he wanted to piss me off and see how’d I react.”

“You think?” Itachi gave Naruto a sidelong glance. It was obvious that Sai said things just to get a reaction out of people, and he didn’t even know the guy that well. 

“Well, he may have been pissed off that I accidentally ruined an entire box of his drawings when I first moved into the dorm.” Naruto sheepishly grinned. “Accidentally spilled a pot of coffee on them.”

“You accidentally spill an entire pot of coffee on his art?” Itachi raised and eyebrow to that. He knew Naruto wasn’t the most graceful person but still… “How did you manage that one?”

“It requires a lot of beer. That much I can tell you,” Naruto explained with ease.  
“You seem to do a lot of stupid things when beer’s involved,” Itachi mumbled under his breath. “Like tell him where I live…”

“I heard that, and I didn’t mean to tell him that. I’m sorry, okay.” Naruto let out a heavy sigh, and once he felt Itachi was somewhat appeased, he continued. “But you know, you _could_ always let him paint you. Sai's really good. It would get him off your case,” he suggested. “And I saw you checking him out when he stopped over my place. Who knows. Maybe if you spent more time with him, you’d enjoy his company.”

“What?” Itachi almost looked scandalized. Almost. Naruto got some crazy ideas into his head sometimes. “No, you're mistaken. If anything, I was trying to figure out how that mess of a man happened, And why he’s fixated on me.” 

“I’m pretty sure I’m not.” Naruto tilted his head and grinned. “It’s fine. Sai’s a good looking guy. You don’t have to lie. You know I don’t care about that.”

“He’s got that look in his eyes,” Itachi pointed out. “The last thing I need right now is someone who will get too attached.”

Naruto leaned forward and moved a little closer to Itachi, invading his personal space. “Are you sure you’re not worried about _you_ getting too attached?”

Itachi eyed Naruto up suspiciously. “This isn’t some cracked idea of yours to set me up is it? Because, I can assure you, I don’t need any help with that.”

Naruto laughed and smacked Itachi’s shoulder. “Fuck no. I know better than to try and set you up with someone. Uchihas are too damn picky about who they sleep with. It would only give me _and you_ a massive headache.”

“Being picky is not a bad thing, Naruto.” Itachi objected to being called picky. He had standards, but nothing that most people didn’t have. “It keeps crazy people at arms length.”

“Sai’s not that crazy. At least he’s not psycho crazy. A little weird, yes, but you know, you wouldn’t have to worry about him slitting your throat when you’re asleep.” Naruto said simply, like it would help sooth Itachi’s irritation. 

“I hope that’s not supposed to be comforting because it’s not.” Itachi moved a couple inches away from Naruto. Despite Naruto’s assurance, he smelled a set up. Either that or Naruto had developed a morbid curiosity about how he felt about Sai. 

“You know what I mean.” Naruto poked Itachi’s shoulder with his finger. “Put it to you this way. Sasuke is far crazier than Sai.”

Itachi put his hand up, stopping Naruto. “Please, don’t ever mention my brother right after you talk about who may or may not end up in my bed.”

“That’s not… what I meant… at least I don’t think that’s what I meant.” Naruto looked at Itachi with a puzzled expression on his face before shaking his head as if he were clearing away an interesting thought. “My point is that you lived with Sasuke for three years, and he’s way crazier than Sai.”

“He’s also my little brother who wouldn’t try to slit my throat in my sleep or try to get into my pants,” Itachi added.

“Sure, you’re probably the one person who’s safe from Sasuke’s wrath.” Naruto grinned. “Once he gets going, there’s no stopping him.”

“Sasuke’s always had a temper on him. Even when he was a baby,” Itachi thoughtfully mused, bringing a small smile to his face. 

“Oh! You know what we should do!” Naruto poked Itachi in the arm this time. “We should all get together soon and have dinner. You, me, and Sai. It’ll be fun. Maybe that will help you and Sai get to know each other more. That’s part of the problem. Neither or you have come to a decent understanding yet. Your first meeting went badly I think. There needs to be a do-over.”

“There’s no such thing as a do-over. And I’m not sure we will come to an understanding.” Itachi shook his head. Naruto could be blind to his friends sometimes, and it drove him nuts. He enjoyed being alone most days, but Naruto didn’t always grasp that concept well. He didn’t need any more friends. “What he seems to want, I’m not willing to give.”

“I don’t think Sai wants that much from you. Or he’d be satisfied with less. Tell him you’ll do it if you get to keep your clothes on. He won’t mind,” Naruto suggested. “I can guarantee, he’d be okay with that.”

“That’s not the point, Naruto.” Itachi narrowed his eyes. “I don’t see why I have to concede to get him off my back about it.”

“You afraid that something more will happen?” Naruto slyly asked.

“I’m not afraid.” Itachi’s voice took on a warning tone, hoping that Naruto would drop it and stop asking questions. 

“No, of course not.” Naruto snorted and rolled his eyes. “You’d never be afraid of something like that. Does worried sound better to you?”

“No,” Itachi answered. “I’m not worried either.”

Naruto opened his mouth like he planned on saying something but then closed it. Itachi knew that alluding to the past several months to explain himself better would only peak Naruto’s curiosity, but he didn’t want to talk about it. Regardless of how weird and possibly interesting Sai seemed to him, all three of them getting together for dinner would be a bit much. 

“Oh, I almost forgot.” Naruto sat forward and pulled an envelope from the inside of his shirt pocket. “Sasuke sent this to me for you, probably thinking you'd be staying at my place for awhile.”

Itachi took the envelope and set it down on the coffee table. He really needed to give Sasuke a call soon. “Thank you.” When Naruto looked at him expectantly, Itachi calmly explained. “I'll open it later.”

“You're not going to see what's in it now?” Naruto raised his eyebrows, surprised that Itachi wouldn’t be happy to get mail from his brother. 

“I'd rather not.” Itachi wasn't sure what Sasuke had sent, but he didn't want to take any chances. If it had anything to do with the DA in New York, he'd rather Naruto didn't find out about that yet. “I'm sure it's nothing pressing.”

“Probably not.” Naruto glanced at the clock on the wall. “Ah, fuck, I have to go. The old man wants me to come over now.” He stood up and grabbed his keys off the table. “Think about dinner. We can do it at my place.”

“Right.” Itachi pulled his laptop from the end table. Maybe work would be a good distraction to pass the time by. “Tell Jiraiya I said hello.”

Naruto waved his hand once, slipped on his shoes, and then bent down to tie them. “Sure, sure, and if I don’t turn up after a few days, call the cops and tell them the perverted bastard devoured my soul.” 

“I highly doubt he’ll devour your soul while he still wants something from you,” he called back as the door to his apartment opened. 

Itachi watched Naruto leave. After he heard the soft click of the door close shut, his eyes slid back to the envelope on the table. A part of him was curious about what Sasuke had sent. Most likely a letter informing him of how things were going for him in Europe. And it made him wonder if Sasuke had decided to stay in London or travel like he mentioned he wanted to do. But despite his curiosity, Itachi still hesitated. 

Not wanting to risk ruining his mood, he turned his laptop on and waited for it to boot up. He’d save that for later once he finished working.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next part. Don't like the ending but eh, can't think of anything else to add to it. Until next Sunday! Enjoy!


	3. Part Three

“So how are things going in Europe?” Itachi adjusted his phone so that it rested more comfortably between his ear and shoulder. After reading Sasuke's short letter that had only updated Itachi on his plans, Itachi decided to call his brother and left a voicemail. It had taken Sasuke a week to get back to him. 

_“I’m in Italy now. I’ll probably be here for a few more weeks,”_ Sasuke answered. _“How long are you staying there?”_

“I haven’t decided yet but probably for awhile. Maybe a year... or longer. I’m renting my own place a couple doors down from Naruto.” Itachi leaned back into the couch and relaxed, enjoying his quiet conversation with Sasuke. “Are you planning on visiting Naruto around Christmas time?”

 _“Yes, I plan on coming for Christmas. Mom and dad wanted me to visit them in Japan so it will be two days after.”_ After a pause, Sasuke asked, _“Will you be in Japan for Christmas?”_

Itachi sighed into the phone and thought back on the plans he made with their parents. Skipping Christmas had been a hard decision but one he didn’t regret. “No, I’ll be visiting them early December in Vermont before they take their trip.”

 _“You'll be missed,”_ Sasuke quietly replied.

“I'll be seeing you only two days later.” Itachi smiled. It made him happy that Sasuke still missed him. 

_“Still, it won't be the same having Christmas without you.”_ A loud knock at Itachi's door interrupted their conversation. Sasuke grunted and Itachi knew the sound irritated him. _“What was that noise?”_

“Someone's knocking on my door.” Itachi sighed, annoyed that his conversation with Sasuke had been interrupted. 

_“Do you need to go so you can answer it?”_ Sasuke asked. _“I don’t mind if you do.”_

“No. Yes. I don't know.” Itachi’s tone held a note of exasperation in it. He had a sneaking suspicion he knew who had come to visit him. 

_“Itachi, is everything okay?”_ Sasuke's voice had a hint of worry to it.

“Everything is fine.” Itachi grabbed his phone with one hand and rested his head on the other. “It's probably Naruto's friend. I can ignore it.”

 _“Who, Sai?”_ Sasuke guessed.

“You've met him?” Itachi sat up straight and put his left hand against the couch. 

_“Yeah, a couple times. Quiet, keeps to himself. We've never really talked except for in passing. He never seemed like he wanted to hanging out with Naruto and me,”_ Sasuke simply said. 

“Oh, he's stopped by at least once, though I think he may have a few other times when I wasn’t around.” Itachi didn’t want to go into details. Knowing Sasuke, it would either irritate him or he would tease Itachi about it. 

_“Odd,”_ Sasuke paused thoughtfully. _“When we met, I got the feeling he wasn't really interested in meeting me. Despite how Naruto would always tell me about Sai being obnoxious and insulting to people, I never had trouble with him.”_

That peaked Itachi's curiosity even more. He would have thought if Sai was so fascinated with him, Sasuke would have the same problem. “So, he didn't bother you or ask you weird questions?”

 _“No... What do you mean by that? What kind of weird questions has he asked you?”_ Sasuke cautiously inquired and then reluctantly continued, _“Do you think he’s… into you?”_

“Never mind, Sasuke. It’s not important.” Itachi tried hard to keep the irritation out of his voice, but he knew some had slipped through. “I should probably go, though. If it is Sai, he won’t stop until I answer.”

 _“Alright…”_ Sasuke hesitated for a moment, _“It was nice hearing from you.”_

“Sasuke,” Itachi paused, “Are we good?”

 _“Yeah, we’re good.”_ Sasuke said before the phone line went dead.

A part of him still had doubts that all the tension between them had gone away, but at least Sasuke had called and they had talked. Only time would tell if things had truly healed between them. 

Another light knock pulled him from his thoughts. Itachi looked at the door. It definitely had to be Sai. He looked at his laptop. For a brief moment, he thought about ignoring whoever had decided to visit him and log in a few hours. There were still a few reports he had to look over and send to his office staff. Except if it was Sai at the door, Itachi knew he probably wouldn’t go away. 

Standing up, he walked over to his door, hesitating for a moment before opening it. Sai stood there in front of him, this time wearing tight-fitting pleather pants and a skin tight shirt that came up just above Sai’s belly button. Itachi noticed Sai what Naruto would call an “innie.” He glanced up at Sai, who only looked blankly at him, and cleared his throat. Straitening out his shirt, he gave Sai another once over. 

Before Itachi could even ask what Sai wanted—though he had a pretty good idea already—Sai thrust a wad of money towards his face. “I’ll pay you a thousand dollars. Or more if you want. I can do more.”

“I’m not a whore, Sai. You can’t buy me with money,” Itachi said as politely as he could. “Though, each time you come over you dress more and more like one.”

“I’m only offering to compensate you for your time. It’s no different than paying any other model. I’d be your employer and you my employee,” Sai said, ignoring Itachi’s jab. Itachi obviously wasn’t an evening person either. “It would give you a chance to—”

“You’ll never be my employer.” Just the thought of Sai having any authority over him made him bristle a little. And also disturbed him on a level he didn’t want to think about. “No matter how much you’d pay me, I’d still be the one with the authority over you.”

Sai looked at him thoughtfully and then smiled. “I didn’t know you were into that sort of thing, but I can get down with that if you want.”

“I’m not.” Itachi inched to door towards Sai, hoping he could get this over with and shut it. “That was a hypothetical situation and nothing more.”

“Right. I’m sure that’s it.” Sai pushed forward a bit, trying to wedge his shoulder between the door and Itachi. “Must be why you’re noticing the way I dress every time I come over.” 

“I’m not letting you in.” Itachi moved his hand quickly to stop Sai from putting arm between the door and him. 

“Because, maybe you’re curious about what I have to offer?” Sai stepped back, smoothly avoiding Itachi’s hand. 

“No, I’m not curious even a little,” Itachi lied. “I’m pretty sure I can guess on what you have to offer.”

“And you’re not interested in me painting you at all?” Sai muttered to himself and looked confused. Itachi could hear him replaying their conversations in his head, trying to figure out what went wrong. “So that’s a no. Like a definite no. There’s nothing I can say to change your mind?”

Itachi sighed and rubbed his temple. “That’s what I’ve been saying the entire time.” 

“Would you be willing to do it if I agreed to do whatever you want me to do? I can return the favor. I’m sure there are plenty of things I can do for you,” Sai quickly offered.

“Just what are you suggesting?” Itachi watched Sai’s expression carefully, trying to figure out if there had been some hidden meaning behind Sai’s words. 

Sai looked at him with a blank expression on his face. “I… don’t know. What do you think I’m suggesting?”

“I won’t accept sexual favors either,” Itachi answered. 

“I never said you had to,” Sai added, sounding a little too pleased by the thought. “But it’s good to know that’s on your mind.”

“Don’t get any ideas. I wasn’t suggesting anything.” Itachi scowled at Sai. “I only wanted to be absolutely clear that wasn’t an option.”

“So… good that we cleared that up. Though, it might be fun,” Sai added.

“You couldn't handle me,” Itachi tartly replied.

“I don't believe you, but if you let me in, we could find out and see if you're right.” Sai inched closer to the door. “That way you'd know one way or the other... if I could handle you or not.”

“I doubt that would be a good idea.” Obviously, he would not have to work hard at having sex with Sai. That wouldn’t be so bad if he weren’t paranoid that Sai would never leave him alone afterwards. 

Sai frowned and make a nonsensical sound. “Odd, never head anyone say that sex was a bad idea before. Are you… asexual? You don’t seem like you are to me.”

“What is wrong with you? Are you... mentally challenged? If you are then we might be able to work something out. I’m certain there are good places here where you can get help.” When Sai started to open his mouth, Itachi raised his hand up in the air. “You know what. I don’t want to know.”

“You don’t want to know what? If I’m slow? I’m not.” Sai moved his shoulder back away from the door. “I only think that we could help each other—”

Itachi saw his opportunity and slammed his door shut. He pulled out his cell. By now he had Naruto on speed dial. Unfortunately, he had only been getting Naruto’s voicemail lately. He smelled avoidance and bullshit. Knowing Naruto, he probably felt amused by this entire situation. 

“Naruto, do something with your friend before _I_ do something about him.” Itachi tried to keep his voice at a reasonable level no matter how much he wanted to raise it. 

Mashing his finger against the end call button (almost like he felt the harder he pressed it, the more Naruto would feel his displeasure through the virtual world), and stalked back over to his laptop. Itachi pressed hard on the button to turn it on, hoping to forget about Sai’s visit and get some work done. 

~*~  
Naruto sat across from Sai at the small café table and eyed Sai up. They had both ordered their food and sat down at a table near the café windows. He had bought a club sandwich with mayonnaise, mustard, and pickles while Sai had hot black tea and a tofu burger he hadn’t touched. It felt a bit disconcerting that Sai looked forlorn and withdrawn. Which is why he had suggested lunch in the first place. Now, he wondered if he was doing Sai any favors by bringing him so out in the open. 

He had even insisted they grab lunch at the Roasted Bean Café. The black metal tables and chairs that lined the patio always had appealed to Naruto. Since most of the tables were round two-seaters, it gave some privacy if he needed it even over the light chattering that often filtered through. It always made for a steady yet pleasant background noise. No other place could beat the outside café; even on a chilly November day when the majority of the tables were full. 

Naruto took a deep breath, relishing in the fresh crisp air. It felt nice to take a break and spend time with Sai. They hadn’t had the chance to hang out since Itachi moved into town. And Jiraiya had kept him busy with working on his new novel. It was a shame Sai looked depressed. Naruto had never seen him so quiet before when it was just the two of them. 

Sighing, he decided to broach the one topic he’d rather not discuss with Sai. “So what did you do now?” Naruto took a bite of his club sandwich while eyeing Sai up. He knew Sai well enough to know something was up. “You look like you’ve been hit by a bus.”

“I offered him money.” Sai shrugged almost dejectedly. “I figured that maybe an extra incentive would work, but it didn’t. Most people liked to get paid to model, right?”

“Sai, you really should stop messing with Itachi.” Naruto didn’t need a name to know Sai had paid Itachi a visit. Even if Itachi hadn’t been leaving the voicemails, he would have figured it out. “And he doesn’t need money.”

“I’m not messing with him,” Sai quickly countered, not wanting to give Naruto the wrong impression. “I was only trying to compensate him for his time.”

“I know you like him, and that’s great and all, it really is. I’m sure you both could stand to work off some sexual frustration, but you can’t be too forward with Itachi.” Naruto leaned his elbows on the table and folded his hands together. “Itachi isn’t like other people.”

“I disagree. If I wasn’t forward, I’d never get the chance to talk to him.” Sai muttered. “He rarely goes out. Mostly stays holed up in his apartment.”

“And that’s how Itachi likes it.” Naruto picked up his sandwich and took a bite. He set it back down onto the plate and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Look, Itachi’s not a social person. You of all people should get that.”

“That’s one of the reasons why I’m being so forward.” Sai didn’t feel like they were moving forward with the conversation, which began to irritate him immensely. Why didn’t Naruto understand what he was saying? “Otherwise, as I said, I’d get nowhere with him.”

“Well, maybe just pull it back a little and give him some breathing room.” Naruto suggested. “His voicemails are getting more hostile by the day. And even though he’s only caught you stopping over twice, he’s mentioned a few times about how he was sure you had come by when he wasn’t around.”

“He’s always looking at me,” Sai argued. “You know, checking me out when I go over there. I think he’s interested but for whatever reason, he refuses to acknowledge it.”

“Maybe because you’re coming on too strong? Or, even if he is interested in you, you can’t make him admit to it if he doesn’t want to.” Naruto rolled his eyes and blew a piece of hair out of his face. Someday he was going to video tape Sai and then show it to him so he could see how overbearing he could seem to others. Maybe then it would sink in better. “Trust me on this one, Sai. If you’re going to insist on visiting Itachi, you need to have more of a reason than you want to paint him naked. Ask him stuff. Get to know him better. Or, I don’t know… you could find something you both have in common and roll with that.”

“I don’t know how to do it any different,” Sai attempted to explain. “Every time I see him, my throat clamps up and that’s the first thing I spit out or something to do with that. At first it starts off okay, but then before I know it, I’m saying things that probably creep him out, but I can’t stop myself. He looks at me with those eyes and that’s it. My brain implodes.” Sai waved his arms around as his voice grew louder. “I’ve never been this enamored with someone before.”

“Aww, does Sai have a little crush?” Naruto teased. “You do, don’t you.”

“Don’t even start with that shit, Naruto.” Sai glared at Naruto. “It’s not a crush anyway. Itachi’s really…”

“Hot? Sexy?” Naruto chuckled. “Yeah, most people think that too. It’s an Uchiha thing. It’s enough to make even me feel a little bendy at times.”

“Let me guess Sasuke makes you feel bendy.” Sai smirked. “You talk about him often enough.”

“He’s not the only one.” Naruto felt his face heat up so he quickly looked away out of embarrassment. “Anyway, that was a long time ago. Confused teenage years and all that shit. I’m over it now.”

“Oh, really? That’s something interesting. I’m sure Itachi would love to hear about that one.” Sai smiled smugly. Now he’d like Naruto to try and mess with him about liking Itachi. “Maybe I’ll bring it up the next time I see him.”

Naruto reached across the table and smacked Sai on the arm. “Don’t even think about telling Itachi what I just I said, or else I’ll make sure he thinks you’re some crazed stalker who has a shrine of him at your apartment.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” Sai’s face blanched and he swallowed the lumpy feeling in his throat down. 

“I would dare. I’ll tell him you light a candle for him every night before bedtime and say a prayer in his honor.” Naruto pulled his hand back and pressed his stomach into the table. “I’m sure he’ll be really impressed with something like that.”

“Alright.” Sai quickly glanced around the café before focusing in Naruto again. “I won’t say anything, but you need to promise to help me out with something.”

“What’s your game, Sai?” Naruto knew that Sai always had some back up agenda when he wanted something. Usually, Sai would come right out and say it, but if that didn’t work, he could become the sneakiest bastard. “Spit it out and tell me. No hidden anything or else we’re done, and I never bring this up again.”

“I need you to help me learn how to talk to Itachi.” Sai pushed his plate to the side. “That’s all I want.”

“I can’t teach you that. You just… talk to him.” Naruto didn’t know what Sai wanted him to say. In his opinion, Itachi was easy to talk to. He just did it without much thought. But he understood where Sai came from. Sort of. At least in a semi-objective way. There were many times when he had a hard time talking to someone he liked. “Like you would a regular person, you know.” Sai looked at him with a blank look on his face. “Okay, maybe not how you would normally talk to someone, but how most people normally talk to each other.”

“Why can’t I just talk to him like I talk to other people?” Sai looked up at Naruto with a confused expression on his face. “Is there something wrong with him?”

“I think you have and that’s part of the problem or, I don’t know. Have you tried using a little more… finesse?” Naruto thought for a moment, trying to work it all out in his head. “No… maybe not. I mean, if you just suddenly started to act like everyone else and try to be smooth, he might get suspicious that you were up to something so that won’t work either.”

“What do you mean?” Sai frowned and glanced up at Naruto. 

“Sai, you can be a bit… hard to deal with sometimes.” Naruto scratched his cheek, trying to figure out how to put this into words in a way that Sai would understand. Perhaps the direct approach would work best. “Look, you have zero tact normally with most people, and I think that may rub Itachi the wrong way.”

“So what do I do then?” Sai shifted in his seat, hoping that Naruto could suggest something useful to him. 

“You said he was checking you out, huh?” Naruto grinned. “I think I have something in mind, but I’m not sure if you’ll go along with it. I’m not sure Itachi will even go for it but maybe it’s worth a shot.”

“Really, you think you can help me?” Sai nervously picked at the napkin in front of him. 

“Sure, why not.” Naruto shrugged his shoulders. “It’ll be a nice distraction from writing.”

Sai leaned in close. For the first time since Itachi came into town, he felt hopeful that they could connect in some way, and that maybe, perhaps an agreement could be made. “Tell me. In every last detail.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for not updating sooner. This chapter went through an extensive rewrite. I don't foresee the rest of the story needing much as far as rewriting since the main problems were within the first three parts. 
> 
> Anyway, new update!


	4. Part Four

Itachi ran his fingers across _The Emperor's Soul_ on the bookshelf. He had decided spend his afternoon at the library and browse for a good book to read. The library near his house had taken about ten minutes to walk to and had three stories to it. The ground floor housed the kids’ books and puppet shows while the main floor was reserved for non-fiction, audio and video, and resources with the entire upstairs set aside for fiction. 

In New York the libraries were immense compared to this one, but Itachi found the size and quiet sounds of people flipping through the pages of their books comforting. There were only a few people here in the afternoon other than the librarians on each floor. The top floor only had one other person besides him. 

In the corner, next to the librarian's desk, was a small room that had glass windows around it and an opening to get inside. Six small round tables sat in the room. It made for a nice quiet place to read or study while getting used to living in a new city. Itachi had already been around downtown for the most part, but this was his first visit to the public library. He turned back to main desk. A blond-haired woman, wearing glasses, sat behind it, reading through a binder.

Pulling the book off the shelf he headed over to the librarian and set it down on the desk. “I’d like to get a card and check out this book, please.”

The librarian looked up from her seat and took the book. “Okay, I’ll need an identification card and your address.”

Itachi reached in his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He took out his license and a piece of paper with his address on it and laid them both down. The librarian pushed up her glasses and took the information. Itachi watched while she put the information into the computer. 

“This will only take a minute to go through and print out, Mr. Uchiha.” The librarian stamped the return date on the book and handed it to Itachi. She then slid her chair over to the printer when it started printing off his card. Handing him the card, she smiled politely and said, “There you go. Enjoy your book.”

“Thank you.” Itachi placed his library card into his wallet and put it back in his pocket. 

Itachi glanced over to the enclosed area near the desk and decided he’d start the book here instead of taking it home. When he walked inside, he noticed it was warm and quiet. He picked the table in a far corner away from the opening and settled in with his book. Sasuke had been right when he pointed out to Itachi how he needed to get out more. Staying at home suited him most days, but after awhile the loneliness could be suffocating. Even he needed a break from the stark silence of his apartment. 

He had gotten through several pages when he heard someone come inside and sit down. Itachi looked up and frowned. Sai had sat down a few tables over from him and pulled out a tablet. Today he was dressed a lot more conservative than before, only wearing jeans and a black t-shirt underneath his jacket. He was close enough that Itachi could carefully watch him but far enough away that Itachi couldn't see what he was doing. 

Sighing, Itachi tapped his fingers against the table a few times, debating on whether or not he should say something to Sai or pack up and leave. He decided against either option. It would only be a matter of time before Sai came over and bothered him, but he refused to allow his nice afternoon at the library to be ruined. 

Itachi hoped, at the very least, Sai didn’t press with personal questions while they were in a public place. Even though the glass seemed thick enough, the room didn’t have a door he could shut. 

But to Itachi’s surprise, he didn't even look at him. Itachi knew that Sai knew he was there. And Sai probably knew that he knew. 

Glaring over the empty table next to him, he tried to work out the angle. There had to be one. And when he found it, Itachi planned to make sure he’d foil whatever plan Sai had. 

Silence stretched by. The only sound in the room was the soft scraping sound of Sai’s pencil across the paper. Itachi looked up from his book, watching the quick movements of the pencil back and forth—another soft scrape followed by Sai using the eraser to smudge something then moving back over the paper again.—until he couldn’t take it anymore. 

Itachi closed his book, fully intending to leave. However, if he did, he'd be letting Sai get to him. Opening his book back up, he read a couple more pages. His curiosity ate at him, though so he glanced over, trying to see what Sai was doing. He shouldn't care. He shouldn't have the least bit of curiosity, but he couldn't help himself. 

Sai hadn't bothered to come over and say hello. Not once. Instead, he kept drawing, his fingers moving along the page quickly and efficiently. The pen seemed possessed, almost like it had complete control of his hand and chose its own movements. Itachi remembered when Deidara used to draw or work with clay when they were in college. Deidara had done the same thing and wore that same deep look of concentration on his face where nothing else outside of the art seemed to exist. 

Sai might be weird—though in Itachi’s opinion most artists were strange—but judging by the way he sat hunched over and the speed of his movements, Naruto had probably been right. And now Itachi wanted to see what he had drawn on that paper. He wanted to see what beauty had been created. 

Itachi’s hand settled on his book to keep his place while he watched Sai draw. Then Sai stopped turned the page and started all over again. He hadn’t bothered to look over what he did or make any corrections. Itachi remembered Deidara had always fussed over his art, sometimes throwing out or tearing up pieces he didn’t like and starting over. 

The sound of the door that led to the stairs opening and closing startled him. He looked down at his book. He hadn’t gotten very far. Sai had distracted him. Sai… always seemed to find a way to distract him. 

Itachi slid off the chair and stood up. Quickly glancing over at Sai, he shook his head, left the room, and headed towards the stairs. It was time he went home. Sure he’d allowing himself to lose the game of wills, but regardless, he wanted to read, and with Sai sitting only a few feet away, he couldn't concentrate. 

~*~  
A woman hurried past Itachi with her shopping cart, forcing him to pull back his hand so that it didn't get clipped. Itachi watched her hurry down the aisle before turning the corner and disappearing. He missed going shopping in the middle of the night. Since Sai had stopped coming over to his house, Itachi decided to try a more normal sleeping schedule. And all he needed were a few small things like fresh fruit and vegetables. 

Heading towards the produce section, Itachi walked past the registers and seasonal items, which were fully stocked with Christmas gifts. The store wasn’t terribly busy since lunch had ended. The bakery was close by so Itachi made a slight right. The baked goods smelled delicious so he stopped for a moment to pick up some ladyfingers and carefully place them in the basket. 

The produce aisle was a few rows down and opened up to a square area that had rows of fruit and vegetables, some which were kept cold and others in were stored at room temperature. In the cold section, most of the vegetables, other than potatoes and onions, were kept there. Next to salad dressings and fruit drinks were the Organic foods. Itachi wrinkled his nose when he passed the tofu. He remembered trying it once, back in college. That had been enough for him. 

When he stopped in front of the potatoes, he saw Sai standing to his left a ways down, right near the lettuce and green beans. Sai held a small basket in his hand like he did and was busy rummaging through some fruit drinks. His head was turned away so they weren’t facing each other, and he seemed lost in his own thoughts, completely unaware that Itachi stood further down the aisle.

Itachi quickly turned his head away, not wanting Sai to see him. After the library incident, his could feel his suspicions rising. His curiosity overrode any thoughts on whether Sai had followed him. And it seemed that he had been in the store first even though Itachi was certain he had seen him show up a few other places this week. 

They were running into each other a lot lately, but he put that thought aside too. Instead, he wondered what type of food someone like Sai would buy. Moving closer to the end of the produce aisle, Itachi decided it couldn't hurt to take a look since he was already here. Inching closer, he casually glanced at Sai out of the corner of his eye, seeing if he could catch a glimpse of what was inside the basket. He quietly moved even closer when he couldn’t get a clear enough view. 

When Sai suddenly looked up at him, Itachi turned his head and pretended to be interested in the carrots. He picked up a package and looked it over before setting it down and picking up another one. Itachi put one of the bags of carrots into his basket even though they weren’t his favorite and turned around to look at the oranges. He grabbed a small bag of four oranges that looked fresh, thinking about how odd it was to see Sai at the store. 

Then it hit him, and Itachi realized he must be more sleep deprived than he thought not to make the connection sooner. Oh, he was going to strangle Naruto the next time he saw that little bastard.

The random, quiet run-ins with Sai. There had been quite a few already and likely to be more. Itachi frowned. It didn't surprise him that they ran into each other often, but what did make him wonder was the silence. Sai had yet to approach him this past week. It had made him more curious. It had drawn him in. It had made him drop his guard. 

When Sai had been confronting him at his apartment, Itachi had no problem understanding what his aim had been. Now that they hadn’t said a word to each other, it had changed. The game had changed. And he knew there was no way Sai had figured that out on his own. 

Itachi pulled a plastic bag from the hanger and grabbed a twist tie. The apple he had picked up felt cold and smooth in his hand. It had a small bruise near the bottom, but the only thing going through his mind was Sai's strange behavior. And his own. Why did he care about what Sai was up to? When had that started and where did it come from? He honestly didn’t know. 

But somehow he had ended up wanting answers that he wouldn’t get. Curious because he suddenly felt ignored. 

Itachi looked up, his eyes meeting Sai's own. A tinge of embarrassment swept through him. He normally didn't fall for those sort of games. And he honestly felt surprised that Sai would do it. He had expected something more direct than that. It made him feel like he was back in high school again, watching people play their stupid games with each other only this time he found himself right in the middle of it. 

Naruto had a hand in it no doubt. Nothing else made sense. Naruto had always tried to fix things for his friends no matter what. In the short time he had been around Sai, there hadn't been any skulking around only straight forward questions and the awkwardness that came from them. 

Itachi set the apple back down and picked up another one, placing it in the plastic bag. He moved along from the produce section and towards the dried goods, not bothering to look at Sai again. There were a few more items he needed to buy. 

Would Sai follow him? Probably. But Itachi didn’t care. He felt too annoyed but refused to change his routine for anyone. Now that he knew the deal, he would ignore Sai, force him to say something or push him to give up and go away. 

~*~  
Only one light had been turned on in the hallway, giving it an eerie glow. Itachi walked towards his apartment door and pulled the keys out of his pocket. On his way through, out of the corner of his eye, he thought some of the leaves on the large Janet Craig palm tree moved. This had to stop. Preferably now. 

Itachi’s encounters with Sai the past week had been odd enough, but now he had taken to hiding behind the plant? Itachi had enough. After a particularly taxing day of fixing mistakes his staff had made and being out all day running errands, he was not in the mood to deal with this. Not today. His frustration had already built up to where any small thing could push it to a boiling point. 

“I know you're back there, Sai.” Itachi unlocked his apartment door and turned around. No answer. A part of him should have been satisfied with that, but instead he let out an exasperated grunt and turned the door knob.

Right before he opened his apartment door, he heard a shuffling noise behind him. Itachi looked over his shoulder just in time to see Sai stepping out from behind the palm tree. He dropped his hand away from the door and stalked down the hall to where Sai stood. 

“You may think I don't realize what you're doing, but I know.” Itachi leaned closer so that their faces were only inches apart. “Oh, I know exactly what your game is and it won't work.”

“I don’t have a game,” Sai quietly answered. 

“Yes, you do.” Itachi sighed and ran his hand down his face, feeling frustrated that their conversations always seemed to go in circles. “This whole thing, you following me is not what normal people do. It’s a game even if you want to believe otherwise.”

“Normal people are boring and predictable,” Sai calmly replied. “If I were normal, you’d be bored by now.”

Itachi hated to admit that Sai had a point. There were so many people he met in his life that bored him with their normalcy to the point where he didn’t even bother remembering their names. They only became nameless faces when he thought about them. But Sai’s calm demeanor irritated him to the point where he wanted to see it crumble and fall. Still, he couldn’t let it go.

“There’s a point where abnormal can be boring and predictable too.” Itachi ground his teeth together and tried to stay composed. “Why are you following me every where I go?”

“I wasn’t—” Sai began.

Itachi cut Sai off. “Don’t lie to me.” 

“It’s not what you think.” Sai took a step back, reminding Itachi of a small cornered animal.

“How do you know what I think? You know nothing about what I’m thinking.” Itachi stared Sai down, challenging him to deny any of it. He ignored the small voice in the back of his head that told him to back off. “You followed me to the library. The store. I saw you at the park the other day sitting on a bench. Outside that coffee café. And you’re going to stand there and pretend it’s nothing more than mere coincidence?”

“The city is small.” Sai briefly looked away and then back at him. “We’re bound to run into each other now and then.”

“You were even at the doctor’s office when I went there to sign up for a doctor. Naruto said you didn’t even live in the same part of the city we do. That you’re on the other side.” Itachi shook his head and turned around. He started walking back towards his apartment and thought of something else to say so he stopped and glanced over his shoulder. “And it’s big enough that I shouldn’t see you _everywhere_ I go. And now you’re here, again.”

Sai followed him until they were back at his door. “Maybe we like the same things and go to the same places.”

Itachi turned around, noticing how Sai shifted uncomfortably and refused to make eye contact. Whatever Naruto had suggested didn’t seem to set well with Sai. “Okay so maybe I am following you. But I’m curious and not trying to do anything creepy.”

“Following someone everywhere _is_ creepy, Sai. No matter what your intentions are. Following me and not saying anything is even worse. It’s annoying as hell that every time I turn around, you’re there.” Itachi dug his fingers into the palm of his hand and rested them against his thighs. “Right now, you’re doing the same thing. I walk a little bit and you follow. If I jumped out the window would you follow me then?”

“No,” Sai paused, looking slightly confused. “Wait. Are you mad that I’m following you or mad that I haven’t been talking to you?”

“What does it matter?” Itachi asked in a snappish tone. “That wasn’t my point.”

“Before we argue and go back and forth but it seemed… less frustrating to you than it does now.” Sai moved closer, forcing Itachi to take a step back so that his personal space wasn’t invaded. “But I thought… you wanted space so that’s what I gave you.”

“This is not giving me space. This would be giving me space.” Itachi pushed Sai back a little, using only enough force to put a couple inches between them. He then slipped inside his apartment. 

“Itachi wait—” Sai called to him. 

But Itachi didn’t listen. Instead, he shut the door, hard, hoping to vent some of the frustration he felt building up. He could still hear Sai mumbling something through the closed door. Leaning against the door, Itachi let out a heavy sigh. He had lost his temper and probably should have gone straight inside instead of goading Sai into a conversation. 

Admittedly, he did feel a little guilty even though he did nothing wrong. It wasn’t the first time he has slammed the door on Sai, but somehow this time felt different. Other than hanging around wherever he went, Sai hadn't done anything too horrible. He also seemed genuinely interested in explaining himself. 

And that look of disappointment on Sai’s face when the door slammed shut… for a brief moment, Itachi wanted to take it back. He wanted to open the door and invite Sai in. Or at least apologize even though he knew he really had nothing to apologize for. Perhaps, he had become used to Sai being around a little more than he should.

Pulling his phone from his coat pocket, Itachi set it down on the table along with his keys. He heard a shuffling noise then footsteps going down the hallway. The problem with Sai remained and who knew what Naruto had told him or suggested. 

Itachi picked up his phone and hit speed dial. When Naruto didn’t pick up, he waited patiently for the voicemail to come on. “Naruto, I don’t know what you told Sai, but your plan didn’t work. Next time he asks you for advice do us both a favor and don’t bother giving it.”

Itachi turned off his phone and set it back down. After taking off his shoes and coat, he sat down at his kitchen table and picked up an apple from the dish on the table. Taking a bite, he savored its crisp sweet flavor for a moment. Despite how tonight had turned out, he was glad to be home with nothing pressing to do. 

A few days without phone calls sounded even better to him. He’d email Sasuke and let him know, but other than that, he didn’t plan on talking to anyone or going out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idek sometimes. Part four. Enjoy!


	5. Part Five

The temperature had dropped a few degrees, and cold wind blew across the roof of the apartment building. Sai pulled his jacket tighter, hoping it would give his body some warmth. Fall this year had been rainy and cold, much to his displeasure. And his body ached from the fight he had gotten into on his way over. Normally Sai could handle the neighborhood he lived in and the people who lived there, but every once in awhile, he’d run into some assholes who didn’t like the way he dressed. 

Sai hadn't bothered to dress for the cold weather tonight. He would much rather be inside but last time he knocked on Itachi’s door, he almost had it slammed right back into his nose, and Itachi specially had told him that he could come around but to keep his distance and not to follow him anymore. So that's what he was doing. 

He begrudgingly had to admit that Naruto was right. Apparently, Itachi needed some space put between them. 

The street lights lit up Itachi’s building enough so that Sai see the apartment windows but no too much that there would be a glare cutting into his view. Most of the windows had blinds or heavy curtains over them for privacy. Itachi could easily do the same so it made Sai wonder why he hadn’t. 

Sai adjusted his binoculars so that he had a clearer view of Itachi. He knew that he probably shouldn’t act pushy and go along with Naruto’s idea, but so far all his attempts to talk to Itachi had failed. And keeping his distance while meeting Itachi in random places hadn’t worked at all. 

Naruto’s plan had sucked in so many ways that Sai felt certain Naruto had only suggested it to get him back for Labor Day weekend. Had he known Naruto wouldn’t take him seriously, Sai never would have asked for his help. 

It felt incredibly frustrating to finally find his inspiration only to have it slip through his fingers so easily, and he still didn’t know what he had said wrong. He knew a lot of people who would be more than happy to pose nude for an art show. 

But Itachi… no, he wouldn’t cooperate at all. And it left Sai irritated and curious at the same time. Naruto had told him stories about Sasuke and mentioned a few times that Sasuke had an older brother, but Sai never thought Itachi would be so damn appealing. He never thought that he wouldn’t be able to stay away even though he knew damn well he should. 

Itachi had been right to call him a stalker, yet he couldn’t stop doing it. He never had that trouble with Sasuke. Something about Itachi drew him in. 

Each conversation and irritated look or comment from Itachi had him coming back for more, eager to see what would happen next. Would Itachi crack or give in today? What would he say? Would he still have that sad lonely look in his eyes through all the witty comments and scowls? 

Not knowing had felt exciting and behind the excitement there was always a bit of doubt and fear that Itachi would never want to see him again. Sai knew how to read people. Being an artist taught him how to observe and watch facial expressions and cues. Despite Itachi slamming the door in his face, Sai could see the regret in Itachi’s eyes from it. And the last time he didn't say to go away completely. There had been an alternative left for him.

Sai turned his attention back to the window. Itachi had walked away anyway. He raised the binoculars again to see what Itachi was doing and noticed that he held his cell phone in his hand. If Sai had to guess, he was probably talking to Naruto. Or maybe Sasuke. Leaning against the edge of the building, he lowered the binoculars and watched Itachi pace back and forth, wondering what he was talking about. 

~*~

“Naruto, your friend is at it again.” Itachi shifted his cell phone so that it rested against his shoulder and ear while he flipped open his laptop. “Are you sure he's harmless. He’s now watching me from the rooftop across the street. I know I told him he could lurk if he kept his distance and didn't follow or talk to me... but I did not think he'd take it that literarily.”

 _“Sai's harmless.”_ There was a slight pause from Naruto on the other end of the line. _“He's not watching you undress or anything creepy like that is he?”_

“No, so far he's just stays in front of the living room.” Itachi didn’t mention that sometimes he had the urge to walk through the apartment naked just to spite Sai. But then Sai would probably crawl up his ass and make a home. Or he’d end up painting him from the rooftop. Yeah, he could definitely see Sai doing that. 

_“Have you thought about inviting him inside and just talking to him?”_ Naruto suggested.

“No. Why would I do that?” Itachi _had_ thought about it—many times—but decided that maybe it would only encourage Sai. And he knew Naruto would never leave him alone about it. Scratching an itch sometimes wasn’t worth making the itchiness worse. Often ignoring it was the only way to make it go stop.

 _“Itachi, how long are you two going to drive each other crazy? This has been going on for almost two months.”_ Naruto sighed dramatically. _“I mean, come on. Is all this pussy-footing around necessary?”_

“I drive Sai crazy?” Itachi incredulously asked. He didn’t see how he managed that. Sai was always polite and calm and never once seemed bothered around him. 

_“Oh, yes… that’s an understatement. I think you make him feel mental. Or horny. Maybe both.”_ Naruto chuckled. _“Yeah. Probably both.”_

“This isn’t helping.” Itachi glanced towards the window, catching a glimpse of Sai from across the street. 

_“It’s not supposed to help. But c’mon. Seriously, I don’t who’s worse. You or Sai.”_ Naruto laughed again then added, _“It makes me wish Gaara was visiting so we could take bets on who’s going to crack first.”_

“Very funny. A real knee slapper you got there,” Itachi dryly replied. “What did I do to be just as bad as Sai?” 

_“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you avoid seeing or talking to someone before,”_ Naruto paused briefly on the other line. _“Nope, never.”_

“Naruto, I’m not avoiding anything.” Itachi looked back out the window at Sai. 

The window had a little bit of frost on it, and the few small trees along the sidewalk were bowed in half. Leaving Sai out there in the cold and wind didn’t seem right. Though, Sai could always go home. It wasn’t like Itachi had made him stand on the rooftop to begin with. 

Naruto cleared his throat. _“Right. Well, if you’re done bitching, I‘m gonna get off here and write.”_

“You should talk to him. Convince him to…” Itachi stopped. He didn’t know what he wanted Naruto to convince Sai of. There was nothing Naruto would say that he couldn't say himself.

 _“Itachi... I don't want to get involved,”_ Naruto hesitated for a second before continuing. _“Last time I did, you were really pissed off at me. You even pulled a Sasuke and wouldn’t acknowledge me for a few days.”_

“Sometimes it’s best not to say anything.” Itachi leaned down and pulled out a piece of paper and pencil from the drawer and set them on the side table. “Anyway, go write.”

Itachi hit end call on his phone and set it down. He picked up the pencil and started to write before immediately erasing it. At first he had intended on writing a message for Sai to read, but then he decided to draw something instead. Once he finished his picture, Itachi held it up to the window and waited for Sai to notice it. 

~*~

Movement caught his attention so Sai leaned closer, his elbows resting on the edge of the building. He saw Itachi put something against the window. It looked like a piece of paper. Adjusting the binoculars more, he zoomed in. There were two stick figures drawn on the paper. One was kicking the other off a tall building. For the first time since he had come out on this chilly night, Sai smiled. Two could play that game. 

Pulling out his journal, Sai took his pen and quickly sketched out the one face that had been haunting him. At first he intended to do something funny like add onto what Itachi had drawn only tweak it a bit so that he wasn’t falling over the side of the building. But when the lines began to form on the paper and his concentration deepened, Sai got lost in his art. 

Looking down at the picture, it had turned out like nothing he planned. Instead of the smart, snarky comeback he had hoped for, he had a complete portrait of Itachi’s face. It wasn’t his best work, but considering he only had a semi-sharpened pencil and limp notebook to work with, Sai felt it turned out well enough. 

Sai tore the piece of paper out of his notebook, folded it up, and put it into his coat pocket. He needed to see Itachi. He needed to get closer. Knocking on Itachi’s door might help, though so far that didn’t get him any results either. He really didn’t want the door slammed in his face again. A few times had been enough for him.

Sai lowered his binoculars when Itachi motioned for him to come over. He swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat and the sick feeling in his stomach that maybe he had gone too far this time. It felt like he was back in high school, sitting in the Principal’s office.

Making his decision, he stood up straight and headed towards the latter that led to the fire escape. They needed to get it sorted out anyway and prolonging the inevitable wouldn’t help. And he wouldn’t back down. This time he would make sure he talked to Itachi and settle this once and for all. 

~*~

“Why are you sitting across the street watching me?” Itachi looked Sai up and down sternly, ignoring the slight flare of attraction he felt seeing Sai in a revealing outfit again. Maybe Naruto was right. This had gone on long enough.

When Sai had been following him around the city, his dress had become considerably more conservative. Even afterwards, when Sai had stopped, and he had seen him around, that part hadn’t changed. Itachi blamed himself and that rude comment he had made once. 

Today, Sai wore a simple black cut off t-shirt, which exposed his midriff, and blue jeans, his jacket in his hands. A medium-sized tear ran across the right leg of the jeans. It looked recent and unintentional. Not like a pair he’d see in the stores. Itachi noticed that Sai had a few scrapes and bruises on his left cheek.

“Do you normally stalk anyone you have a crush on?” Itachi leaned against the doorframe and folded his arms across his chest. 

“No,” Sai frowned and the determined look on his face grew while he stuck his foot in the doorway. “And I don't have a crush on you. Maybe.” Then he sighed. “Look. I just want to paint you. I’m not asking for a date just for you to model for me.”

“Just like that, nothing more?” Itachi raised an eyebrow. “It’s hard for me to believe you’d go through all this trouble for only that.”

Sai shifted uncomfortably, moving his feet back and forth before looking at the doorknob. “More wouldn’t be a bad thing, I don’t think...” Looking up at Itachi, he finished, “but I’d be happy with just that.”

Itachi shook his head and stepped aside from the doorway. “Come in, Sai.”

Regardless of Sai’s intentions, they had to work this out. Naruto’s friendship had become too important to Itachi for this to become an issue. Besides, he didn’t believe Sai had any bad intentions towards him. 

Sai stepped inside and took off his shoes, placing next to Itachi's. He had been inside Naruto’s apartment many times and the set up seemed to be the same, though he liked how Itachi's looked better. “Nice place.”

“Let me get one thing clear. I only invited you over so that this, whatever it is, stops and maybe we can end this on good terms.” Itachi turned around and looked Sai over once more. “I’m not promising anything more.”

Sai nodded his head. “I agree.”

“Would you like something to drink?” Itachi walked out the kitchen with Sai following closely behind him. 

“Sure, what do you have?” Sai asked, stopping at the table and leaning against it. 

“It's late, but I can make some coffee if you'd like. I also have hot tea, water... wine,” Itachi offered. 

“I'll have some tea, please.” Sai placed his hands on the table top and spread out his fingers along the smooth surface. 

Itachi bent down and pulled out his tea kettle from the cupboard. He filled it with water and set the kettle on the burner. After he turned the stove on, he turned around and sized Sai up. Sai looked confused and nervous. He also favored his right leg, which brought his thoughts back to the bruising and torn clothing.

“Sit down.” Itachi motioned towards the table, waiting for Sai to relax a little. “What’s your deal, Sai?” Itachi leaned against the counter and folded his arms across his chest. “And I want the truth. No lying or you leave and we’re done.”

Sai pulled out a chair and sat down at the table, his hands clasped together and folded underneath his chin. He sat quiet for a moment before looking up at Itachi. With a sigh, he asked, “Why don’t you want to pose nude? You don’t strike me as the type of man to be ashamed of his body. I don’t really understand the problem nor have I ever been turned down before.”

“It has nothing to do with shame.” Itachi watched Sai process the information for a moment. Turning to the side, he reached over to the iron cast mug stand pulled two coffee cups from it with his fingers. 

“If it’s not out of shame, then why?” Sai curiously asked. 

“It’s a respect issue with me, Sai.” Itachi set the mugs down and placed two bags of Lady Gray into the cups. “And a modesty issue as well.”

“You could keep your pants on or…” Sai looked down at Itachi’s crotch, “at least your underwear.”

“I don’t feel it’s necessary for everyone to see me naked or half-naked. If I’m swimming that’s one thing, but just to walk around half-dressed… most people haven’t earned my trust to know what’s underneath.” The kettle whistled and Itachi turned off the burner and pulled it from the stove. He carefully filled both coffee cups with the hot water.

“Your brother likes to walk around with his chest hanging out,” Sai casually mentioned. “I’ve seen him do it a few times.”

Itachi pulled out a chair and joined Sai at the table. “Yes, Sasuke has a different approach to everything. He’d rather show people what they can’t have while I’d rather not share.”

“That seems a little—” Sai began. 

“Selfish?” Itachi chuckled and pushed his hair out from in front of his eyes. “In a way it is, but I like to think of it more of a reward for someone who has earned my respect if they’re decent enough.” 

Sai looked down at the mug in front of him and thought over what Itachi said. He looked up and smiled. “I see. You’re the type who likes to button up like a Priest so no one can even get a glimpse of what’s underneath. A tease as Naruto would say.” 

Itachi laughed a little. “Something like that.”

“There’s no way I can talk you into posing for me is there?” Sai asked, his tone resigned and slightly defeated. 

“If I did pose nude, what would you do with it?” Itachi wanted to know what was going on inside Sai’s head before they went any further. “Show it where everyone can see?”

“No… yes, but I wouldn’t be showing people just for the sake of showing them.” Sai glanced up at Itachi and hoped he could explain himself clearly enough. “I really would be presenting it at an art show for the sake of art. Nudity doesn’t have to be sexual.”

Itachi blew on his tea before taking a drink of it. Swallowing, he set the mug back down on the table. “When we first met, you had a deadline. Did you meet it?” 

“I did,” Sai answered. 

“How did you do that when I said no?” Itachi pressed further. 

“What do you mean? Who or what did I paint?” Sai dunked the tea bag into the water a few times before taking a sip. 

“Yes.” Itachi cup the hot mug, using it to warm up his hands. “You improvised obviously, so why do you still want to paint me?” 

“It wasn’t the same.” Sai looked down at the table, and his mouth pulled down into a contemplative frown. “It wasn’t what I really wanted. I had to think about you in order to finish it.”

“Okay.” Itachi sighed and his line of vision was once again drawn to the bruises on Sai. “Want to tell me what happened to you?” He pointed to the scrapes on Sai's cheek, which had started to crust over a little. 

“I got into a little scuffle on my way over,” Sai answered, though his voice held a hint of wariness to it. “Why?”

Itachi stood up and grabbed a paper towel from the holder. He turned on the water and wet it. “It looks like you got scratched up a bit, and it’s been distracting me since you came over.”

Itachi walked back over to Sai. Grabbing Sai’s chin, Itachi held his face still while cleaning off the scratches. His fingers gently moved the paper towel over Sai’s cheek. 

Sai could feel his face heat up when Itachi's hand touched his face. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I know.” Itachi moved a piece of Sai’s hair that had fallen in the way and had stuck his damp skin. “But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t.”

“Are you doing this because I’m Naruto’s friend?” Sai asked.

“I’m doing this because you’re a person. Even though you drive me crazy, you don’t deserve to be attacked,” Itachi gently answered.

“Perhaps I started it,” Sai replied, tilting his head up a bit so he could look up at Itachi. 

“Did you?” Itachi finished wiping off the scrapes and tossed the paper towel into the garbage can. 

“No, though maybe if I hadn’t told them to screw off they would have left me alone.” Sai shrugged his shoulders like it wasn’t a big deal, but Itachi saw the slight sadness in his eyes. “It usually doesn’t make a difference one way or the other.”

“Why did they attack you?” Itachi asked while washing his hands off. 

“I'm a little too weird for some of them. Mostly, I don't have a problem.” Sai watched Itachi’s hands move under the water in the sink. “Every once in awhile, I run into an asshole who feels it’s necessary to teach me a lesson.”

Itachi sat back down. His tea had grown lukewarm, but it still tasted good. Neither of them said anything for awhile, and he had to admit, he felt bad about Sai getting into a fight even though he had made the choice the come out late at night. 

Sighing, he decided he’d throw Sai a bone even though he wasn’t sure if he’d end up regretting it. “Alright, Sai, you may paint me.”

Sai turned and looked at him with a surprise. “Really? But I thought you said—”

“I’m not taking my clothes off.” Itachi crossed his legs and leaned back in the chair. “I rather enjoy being ‘buttoned up like a Priest.’ Take the offer or don’t, but I won’t make it again. However I have a condition you must agree to first.”

“No, that’s fine.” Sai stood up so quickly that he almost knocked the chair over. He turned around and righted it. 

“Hold on.” Itachi stood up too and put his hand on Sai’s shoulder. “My condition.”

“What is it?” Sai asked nervously. He turned his attention back to Itachi and waited.

“I won’t do it tonight. Give me your phone number, and I’ll contact you when I’m ready. But if I see you lurking around or stalking me before then, the deal is off.” 

Sai frowned. “Do you know when—”

“No, I haven’t decided yet, and I’m not telling you when. If you want to paint me bad enough, you’ll have to be patient and wait.” Itachi’s hand dropped from Sai’s shoulder, and he took a step closer until they stood only a few inches apart. “Do you think you can do that, Sai?”

“Yes.” Sai didn’t look away from him even though Itachi could tell he wanted to. “I can wait.”

“Do you need me to call a cab?” Itachi wasn’t sure it would be a good idea for Sai to walk home by himself. 

“No, I can stop by Naruto’s and catch a ride. He’ll still be awake.” Sai pulled out his notebook and pencil. After he quickly jotted down his number, he handed it to Itachi. 

“Thank you. And don’t forget my condition.” Itachi set the paper down on the table. “I need to work for a little while so have a good night.”

“Okay, and I won’t. I won’t forget.” Sai walked over towards the door then stopped. He looked over his shoulder. “I’ll see you around I guess.” 

Itachi only nodded and watched Sai quietly slip out the door. That had gone better than he thought, though he wondered if he did the right thing by agreeing to allow Sai to paint him. Sitting down on the couch, he turned his laptop on and rubbed his temple, hoping he didn’t manage to complicate things even more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only two more bits to go with this one ^^
> 
> I believe the next chapter has some smut in it.


	6. Part Six

“Sai, I’m ready.” Itachi held his cell phone between his ear and shoulder while he waited for Sai to respond. He felt he had waited long enough to keep up his end of the bargain, and he wouldn't have to call the office for the rest of the weekend. 

_“I’m over at Naruto’s right now. I don’t have my supplies with me,”_ Sai answered. Itachi noticed that his voice sounded distressed. 

“I don’t care.” When Sai didn’t reply right away, Itachi sighed, smoothing out his t-shirt while he adjusted his sleep pants so that they weren’t cockeyed. “Just come over here or the offer is rescinded.”  
 _“I’ll be right there,”_ Sai hastily replied. 

Pressing the end button on his phone, he set it down on the table. It had been two weeks since he had seen Sai last, and in that time, he went over Sai’s last visit thoroughly. He also waited until his curiosity got the better of him, and he couldn’t wait any longer. This morning, Itachi had almost asked Naruto what Sai had been doing for the past two weeks since he honestly had no way of telling. He admittedly was surprised that Sai had left him alone and almost disappointed about it too. When Itachi realized he'd have the weekend to himself, he made up his mind. 

Until he had Sai come over and do this, Itachi wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about him. And until he could stop thinking about Sai, he wouldn’t get anything useful done other than work. It felt like a constant nagging knot in the back of his mind that he needed to take care of.

Soon, he heard a knock on his door. Itachi sighed and walked out of the kitchen. When he opened the door, his heart began to race a little. Sai stood there waiting, dressed how he had been when Itachi first met him. Low cut black shirt with skin tight pants and his light black jacket. Itachi realized how much he had missed that. 

“What?” Sai’s cheeks turned a little red from Itachi’s stare. 

“Nothing.” Itachi tore his eyes away and moved to the side so Sai could come in. “I thought you were joking about always dressing like that.”

Sai quickly stepped inside either out of eagerness or worry that he wouldn’t get another opportunity—Itachi wasn’t sure which. “Sorry if it offends you. Didn’t have time to go home and change.” 

“I’m not offended, Sai.” Itachi shut the door and made sure to keep eye contact even though he wanted to look elsewhere. It wouldn’t do him any good to make Sai feel uncomfortable. “I shouldn't have said anything before. It was rude of me.”

“How do you want to do this?” Sai stood off to the side inside Itachi’s apartment, easily avoiding the apology. “I don’t have anything on me. I can ask and see if Naruto has—”

“I have some things you can use,” Itachi cut in. 

“You paint?” Sai glanced up at Itachi with a surprised look on his face. “Naruto never mentioned that to me before.”

“No, and actually I don’t have paint, but you could draw me. A good friend of mine used to draw all the time. I still have all his art supplies he used to keep.”

“Why do you have his things?” Sai curiously asked. 

Itachi glanced over his shoulder at Sai. “Because, he’s dead.”

Sai stood still and didn’t say anything. What could he say? “Oh. Sorry.”

“Don’t be awkward about it, Sai. People die all the time.” Itachi glanced at Sai and shrugged it off. He didn't want to spend the night talking about friends that were no longer with him. “That’s how life goes. It happened long enough ago that it doesn’t bother me to talk about it anymore.”

“I’m better at drawing anyway,” Sai said, quickly changing the subject. “And it will go much faster if I use pencil instead of paint.” 

“What did you draw on the roof?” Itachi suddenly asked, remembering how Sai used to always have pencil and paper with him.

“Oh, that.” Sai reached in his coat pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. Unfolding it, he handed it to Itachi. “I only drew this from memory so I don’t how accurate it will be. You were too far away when I drew it.”

“You kept it with you this whole time?” Itachi looked down at the paper, not sure how to feel or what to make of Sai’s drawing. 

“Yeah, I never took it out of my coat.” Sai let out a shaky chuckle. “Maybe Naruto’s right about me being a little obsessed with you.”

Itachi glanced up and only raised an eyebrow to that. Then he drew his attention back to the picture he held. Naruto had been right. Sai could draw and extremely well. At least he didn’t need to worry that the picture would turn out badly. 

While he looked it over and took in all the details, Sai sat down on the armchair. It surprised Itachi how at ease he seemed. He would have thought there’d be more tension or at least some apprehension on Sai’s part, but as far as he could tell, everything seemed fine. 

Looking down, he finally noticed how his crotch was close to Sai’s face. Only a few inches separated them. Sai could easily lean up, reach over, and—Itachi sighed. 

A part of him wanted Sai to reach out, unzip his pants, and show him what that talented tongue could do. He really needed to find someone for a night even though that would mean going out and buying condoms while people at the store stared at him. Itachi always hated it when people had to nose in his business to what he had bought. 

“When did you want to start?” Sai looked up at him inquisitively not giving Itachi any indication the situation was uncomfortable for him. “Or did you change you mind?” 

“Oh, right… the supplies. I’ll get them for you now.”

“Itachi, wait.” Sai stood up and opened his mouth before closing it again. 

Itachi stopped and turned around. “What?” 

Sai stood still for a moment, adverted his eyes away from Itachi, and then shook his head. “Never mind.”

“Sit down and relax. I’ll go get the supplies.” Sai sat back down, and Itachi walked down the hallway and into his bedroom. 

It had been some time since he last went through Deidara’s belongings. Itachi didn’t have much, mostly art supplies, some drawings, and pottery. Deidara’s parents never understood their son’s love and need for art so he only gave them art that would be personal to them—anything that would give them memories they could hold onto. The rest he couldn’t bring himself to let go of. 

The boxes sat in the back of his closet, carefully placed away from everything else. Sasuke had tried to talk him into putting all of it into storage, but Itachi could never bear the idea of all it getting dusty. And for all Deidara’s talk about how wonderful and great art was, he never stuck around long enough to take pictures. So he only had a few boxes left and memories of his friend. 

Not knowing what all Sai would need, Itachi grabbed and entire pencil kit and a tablet of paper before closing up the box and shutting his closet door. He headed back to the living room and walked over to Sai, who was still sitting in the armchair. 

“Here, will this work?” He handed the kit and tablet to Sai.

“Yeah, this will work fine.” Sai stood up and stretched while holding the pencils and paper out. His shirt pulled up a little exposing his stomach. “It would be easier if you sat on the couch while I did this.”

Itachi drew his eyes upwards and noticed a slightly pleased look on Sai’s face. It wasn’t the first time he had been caught staring. What would Sai do if he reached out and touched? Would that smugness stay or falter into insecurity? Sighing, he tried to clear those thoughts away and focus on the present. 

Sitting down on the couch, Itachi folded his hands in his lap and waited for Sai’s instructions. “Is this good?”

“Yes, although,” Sai set the pencils and paper down on the coffee table. “Maybe if you move your arm a little to the left.”

When Itachi moved his arm, Sai frowned. “What?” Had he done something wrong?

“That’s not quite right. Hold on.” Sai got up and moved over to him. “Here. Let me fix you.”

Sai rearranged Itachi’s arms and legs so that he sat looking straight ahead, but the rest of his body was turned to the side. It felt awkward and made his neck feel stiff. It took everything he had in him not to move to relieve some of the pressure. But instead, he let Sai do what he wanted to fulfill his end of the agreement. 

“That should be good.” Moving back over to his previous position, Sai sat down and began to draw, his hands carefully sketching out the scene in front of him. 

Itachi watched Sai’s hand move back and forth, forging lines on the paper, lines that he couldn’t see. Curiosity almost got the better him a couple times, and he wanted to ask Sai if he could see the progress. 

From the distance and the angle of his line of vision, he knew it wouldn’t be possible to watch. Stopping the process would only add to the difficulty of patiently waiting for Sai to finish. Whereas he normally wouldn’t have trouble sitting still, his muscles began to ache from the urge to move his body. The silence between them didn’t help either. Sai solely focused on drawing while he sat there. 

The clock on his wall ticked, but Itachi didn’t know how much time had passed since he couldn’t see the time from the angle he sat. The intense quiet in the room only made it feel like time was slipping away. His whole body ached and stiffened. Finally, he chanced an interruption. “How long does it usually take you to draw someone?” 

“It all depends on the person and their pose.” Sai stopped drawing for a moment and glanced up at him. “Growing impatient?”

“No,” Itachi lied. He didn’t want to seem like a dick but sitting still for this long was beginning to grate on his nerves.

Sai stopped drawing and looked at him. A small smile appeared on his face. “Liar. I can tell you’re annoyed.” 

“Don’t be rude, Sai.” Itachi scowled. It irritated him that Sai had pointed it out instead of leaving it alone. 

“I could be finished with you already, but I want to get it right.” Sai went back to drawing, and Itachi noticed that there were a few spots that had been erased and restarted. “You know what sometimes helps?”

“I’m sure you’ll tell me.” Sai laughed, loudly, and Itachi realized that was first time he had heard Sai laugh. He had seen Sai smile before and maybe a nervous chuckle here and there, but never like that. “What’s so funny?”

“Naruto was right. You… are difficult.” Sai closed his eyes and smiled. “But not in a bad way.”

“So, what helps?” Itachi chose to ignore Sai’s comment otherwise he might be tempted to repay Naruto for freely giving away information on him. That would only start a prank war, and he was too old to go up against Naruto. 

“You’re being too quiet. If we talk, that’ll pass the time by more quickly.” Sai kept his eyes on the tablet, his fingers smoothing working the pencil. 

“That’s it? We talk?” He to admit he had been expecting more than that. With the way Sai acted a bigger reveal should have happened. Itachi thought about it for a moment and knew Sai was probably right. It would give him something to do. “Alright, what do you want to talk about?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.” Sai’s eyes lifted for a brief second, and Itachi could see the curious dark depths assessing him. “You’re the one who has to sit still.”

Itachi fought back the urge to roll his neck to prevent it from getting stiff. “Did you live in this city all your life, or did you move here to go to college?”

“I didn’t live here all my life. I used to live out in the country, away from the city.” Sai answered. “But I wanted to go to college where people weren’t so narrow-minded.”

“Is it any better here than where you grew up?” Itachi curiously asked. 

“Definitely. Sure there are some assholes here and different things to worry about, but overall, most people leave me alone. They certainly don’t care that I’m gay. It’s nothing like how it is in a small town where you’re the only one who’s different.”

“So… those men who attacked you the last time… they didn’t care that you were gay?” Itachi found it hard to believe that Sai had been attacked for any other reason. At the very least, to someone bigoted and narrow-minded, Sai’s choice of dress would have made them suspicious of his sexual preference. 

“Sure, there are some assholes living here, but the percentage of them is less,” Sai calmly replied. “They’re more used to alternative lifestyles. People have more of an issue with the way I dress in my neighborhood. I don’t know why, really. Or how it’s any of their business,” he paused, his face thoughtful. “Oh, and I’ve had men try to pick me up before, thinking I was a whore. That’s about it.”

“And you’re okay with that?” Itachi almost turned his turned to fully face Sai, but then remembered and stopped himself. 

“I like what I wear. It’s a part of who I am.” Sai glanced up at him, shrugging it off like it wasn’t a big deal. “If they think it means more than that, that’s their problem.”

“It’s your problem too if the wrong person thinks that,” Itachi commented. “It still affects you.”

“Maybe.” Sai stopped drawing and smiled at Itachi. “I think it’s done.”

“You’re finished?” Itachi frowned, disappointed that they were finished already. 

“Yes, though I don’t think I got it quite right.” Sai knitted his brows and frowned. “No, I didn’t get your eyes right. I never do.”

“What do you mean?” Itachi rested his elbows on his knees, still feeling stiff from sitting in the same position for so long. 

“I can’t capture the loneliness in your eyes,” Sai explained thoughtfully. His face was scrunched up in concentration like he couldn’t quite think of the right words to say. “It doesn’t look the same on paper. Never does. Never as beautiful.”

Itachi wasn’t sure what was meant by that so he stood up and walked over to Sai. “Can I see it?”

“Sure, if you’d like.” Sai shifted his body to give Itachi more room. 

The pose to the picture wasn’t anything different than what he had seen many times before. But the actual quality and skill were far better than most artists he knew. Sai seemed to have a real knack for drawing realism, Itachi’s favorite art style. While he appreciated many types of art, he always felt more connected to realistic forms. Though, Sai had made the picture a little different than what he expected. 

“You drew me shirtless.” Itachi glanced up from the drawing and gave Sai a dry look. 

“I did. Does it bother you?” Sai returned the eye contact, almost like he was challenging Itachi to protest his choice. 

“Is that what you meant by using me so you could finish your work?” Itachi handed the tablet back. “What you told me when you were here last.”

Sai blushed. He sighed and looked away from Itachi. “More or less... there are certain parts of your body I've never seen. I'm a good guess but still… well it wasn't perfect.”

Itachi felt his body move forward on its own. Their lips pressed together, and for one brief moment, he felt at ease. The stress had momentarily dissipated, leaving him slightly surprised. 

But when the kiss deepened, and he could feel Sai’s tongue press into his mouth, Itachi couldn’t deny the pleasant feeling the bubbled up in him. There was warmth between their bodies that left him craving for closer contact. Itachi slipped in closer, but unexpectedly, the feeling was gone. The kiss had ended far too soon. He wanted more, and he knew he could get it if he asked. 

“I think that's it,” Itachi murmured, his head leaning against Sai's cheek. 

Pulling back, Sai looked at him strangely. “Come again?”

“It's late and you're finished with the drawing.” Itachi pointed to the living room clock. He hadn't realized so much time had passed until a few moments ago. “We're finished with our deal.”

“Oh, of course... You're right. I should go.” Sai went to stand up, but Itachi pulled him back down.

“That's not what I meant.” Leaning in, he whispered in Sai's ear. “Stay the night.”

Sai shivered and let out a shaky breath. “You have your guest room set up?”

Itachi's fingers slid down Sai's shirt until they hit the edge of his pants. “You won't need the guest bedroom.”

Sai let out a strange sound of surprise over Itachi's comment. “You're not messing with me are you?”

“No, I'm being serious, Sai.” Then he remembered. Itachi moved his head down until it was against Sai's shoulder and exhaled a heavy, disappointed sigh. “Dammit. I don't have any condoms.”

“I do.” Sai's hand cupped Itachi's chin and lifted his face up. “I have one.”

“Do you always keep one handy?” Itachi leaned back and looked at Sai, a bit surprised that his plan wouldn’t be thwarted. 

“Yes,” Sai simply replied, nodding his head once. “It’s always good to be prepared.”

The feel of Sai’s long, thin fingers brushing against his cheek made Itachi lean further into the touch. He grabbed Sai's shirt and pulled him closer, their lips meeting once more. His other hand lifted up the thin material of the soft black shirt and slipped under it. His fingers immediately found a pert nipple and a metal bar going through it. 

Watching Sai's reaction, Itachi lightly tugged on the barbell. “This is a pleasant surprise. I didn't realize your shirt was that thickly lined.”

Sai gasped with each tug of Itachi's fingers. “It's not always good to show them off. They can easily tear my skin.”

“Them?” Itachi's curiosity got the better of him so his hand moved to the other nipple and found another metal barbell. “Are there any others?”

“No. I lost a bet to a friend in college, but then I discovered I enjoyed having them and kept the piercings in,” Sai gasped for air while he breathlessly explained the piercings. 

Interesting. Itachi could think of a few ways to test out what Sai said. He wondered how much enjoyment they gave. Tucking away that information for later, he stood up and pulled Sai along with him. 

They quickly walked down the short hallway and into his bedroom, both of them almost stumbling in the doorway in their haste. Itachi went over the nightstand next to the bed and turned on a lamp, leaving the overhead light off. 

They stood there quietly for a moment, and then Itachi pulled his t-shirt over his head and tossed it onto the floor. His pants and boxers soon followed. He felt Sai’s eyes on him, and Itachi looked up, seeing heated eyes trail up his body. 

“Are you going to join me? It would be a shame for me to be the only one naked.” Itachi sat down on his bed, his fingers briefing digging into the black satin sheets as he watched Sai slip his shirt off and toss it aside. 

Leaning forward, Itachi pulled Sai closer and began to work the snap and zipper on his pants. Once he finished helping Sai out of his clothes, Itachi maneuvered him into a sitting position on the bed. 

“What am I going to do with you?” Itachi allowed Sai to push him down onto the bed. 

“Whatever you want.” Sai leaned in and slowly kissed Itachi. He gently flicked his tongue out and pressed in a little before pulling back. 

“There are so many things…” Itachi left the rest unsaid. He’d figure it out once they got there. Scooting up, he wrapped his arm around Sai’s waist and moved them both, stopping once his head rested on his pillows. 

“Do you have anything?” Sai pushed up from the bed so that he was leaning over Itachi instead of laying flush against him. 

“Yeah. Let me get it for you.” Itachi turned on his side and opened the drawer to the small dresser next to his bed. He pulled out a small bottle of lubricant and tossed it to Sai. 

His legs spread out a little while Sai twisted the cap off the bottle and poured some onto his fingers. Itachi wasn’t sure what would happen until he saw Sai reach around and his hands disappear behind his back. 

Soft moans filled the room and took all of Itachi's attention away from anything else. Focusing on the display in front of him, his eyes trailed down to Sai's hard cock jutting out. Precum glistened on the tip tempting Itachi to lean up so he could touch and taste. 

“Come here.” Sai’s breaths came out in short bursts while he beckoned Itachi to come closer. 

Sitting up, Itachi pulled Sai closer, twisting his head around so he could watch Sai finger himself. He caught a glimpse, just in time for those lean fingers disappearing, and Sai's eyes fluttering close. Almost like he had a sudden craving to feel his own fingers touch himself so intimately. 

Itachi threaded their hands together and moved Sai's fingers out of the way. His own moved lower and made light circles around Sai's perineum. Two of his fingers slid inside and slowly rubbed along until he felt a soft patch of skin. The temperature in the room felt about ten degrees hotter than it was before.

Watching the expression on Sai’s face soften when his fingers continued to massage the inside, Itachi used his other hand to slowly stroke himself. “How does that feel?”

“Feels good.” Sai pushed back against Itachi’s fingers, his knees digging deeper into the bed. A few droplets of sweat trickled down the side of his face and onto his neck. “I want you inside of me, now.”

He reached over and felt around for the condom. Tearing open the top with his teeth, Itachi pulled it out. When he got the condom on, he stroked his cock once and then poured a generous amount of lubricant on it. Sai climbed partially into his lap and they kissed, their tongues heatedly exploring each other. Itachi moved his right arm around Sai's waist and used his left to explore the nipple piercings. 

Sai's lips moved lower and his teeth grazed across Itachi’s neck, kissing and nipping at his skin. Itachi felt his patience thinning. He helped Sai get settled right above his cock and held their bodies still for a moment. Deciding that he didn’t want to change their positions, Itachi cupped Sai’s ass and licked from his nipple up to his jaw line. 

“Sit on my lap,” Itachi softly demanded. 

When Sai grabbed his cock and slowly sunk down on it, Itachi closed his eyes and moaned at the delicious feeling of being wrapped into tight heat. It had been far too long, and now he couldn’t figure why he resisted this long. 

His hands explored Sai’s body, reveling in the feel of taut muscled under skin. Itachi could feel hands run down his sides and to his chest, touching and teasing his nipples. He let out a sharp gasp when Sai’s fingers pulled a little harder. 

“Look at me.” Sai’s fingers slid along Itachi’s neck up to his right ear. 

All it took with those three words and Sai had his full attention. With each movement downward, he went deeper in. Grabbing Sai's waist, he thrust upwards, wanting to get even closer. His rhythm increased and his movements sped up. 

“Touch yourself for me,” Itachi insisted between kisses. 

His damp hair clung to his face from his sweat. Itachi brushed it out of his eyes and focused on making more of those wonderful sounds come from Sai. They were moving too slow, and he knew that if he quickened the pace, neither of them would last much longer. 

Using his hands to keep Sai still, Itachi’s hips moved faster, his arm muscles flexing with the tight grip he had on Sai’s arms. His legs wrapped around Sai’s ankles and used the advantage to spread Sai’s legs further apart. When he slid in even deeper, he grunted and thrust up harder. 

His grip tightened, holding Sai still while Itachi impaled him over and over. Hearing Sai crying out for him to go harder and faster pushed him over the edge. Itachi cried out and came hard. His entire body tensed up and shook, but he didn't stop until Sai closed his eyes and his body tensed up. 

Opalescent fluid spurted out of his cock up onto his chest with some landing on Itachi’s cheek and chin. He held onto Sai, their breaths coming out in short, heavy puffs. Once he could catch his breath, Itachi wrapped his arms around Sai and held him close. 

They stayed that way for a few moments, until Itachi pulled back and leaned his head against Sai’s. They both shifted until the wet started to become uncomfortable. Itachi felt Sai lift off him. He moved back and pulled the condom off before leaning over the bed and depositing it into the trash. 

Sai thumbed away the bit of cum that had hit him on the chin. Itachi leaned into the touch. “I'll grab something to clean us off with.” 

Scooting of the bed, Itachi left his room to grab a towel out of the bathroom. He flicked on the bathroom light long enough to grab a hand towel before heading back to the bedroom. Sai sat on top of his bed, hair still sweaty and matted to his face. 

Cleaning them both up, Itachi discarded the towel in his laundry hamper. He crawled to the top of his bed and lay down. He felt Sai start to get up, and he reached out to stop him. “It’s late. Stay.”

“Are you sure?” Sai looked at him strangely, almost like he couldn’t believe Itachi had offered to let him stay. 

“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t mean it.” Itachi closed his eyes unsure of how he’d feel the next day, but for now, he could feel sleep slowly overtaking his body. 

With it being so late, he couldn’t see letting Sai go home alone even if it wasn’t his place to worry about it. Now that their deal had ended, Itachi wasn’t sure what would happen next, but he didn’t think this would be the first and last time between them. Glancing over, he ran his fingers across Sai’s cheek down to his neck, mesmerized by the beauty in front of him. 

He would think about it tomorrow when he didn’t feel so tired. Itachi closed his eyes, his head burrowing deeper into the pillow. The feel of Sai lying next to him sent another flush of excitement through him but for different reasons. Sleep tugged at him and before Itachi allowed it to overtake him, a pleasant feeling of excitement coursed through him. It left him wondering what tomorrow would bring and hoping that it would be for the better. 

~*~

Itachi woke up from the sun rays that crept through his window. He probably should have pulled the blinds down last night but had forgotten. It felt late enough to wake up anyway. Yawning and stretching out his arms, he felt his right arm bump into something next to him. Itachi glanced over and noticed Sai curiously watching him. 

“Morning,” Sai mumbled before yawning into his shoulder. 

“Good morning.” Itachi turned his head so that Sai wouldn’t have to deal with his morning breath. “How long have you been awake?” 

Sai shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Probably for about a half hour. Too early to get up, though. And I thought it would be rude to sneak out while you were still asleep.” 

Itachi looked over at his alarm clock and it read eight o’clock. He looked over at Sai, ignoring the last comment. “It’s not _that_ early. You’ve been over here to bug me far earlier before.” 

“That was different. And it’s too early for me under normal circumstances.” Sai closed his eyes and threw his arm across his face. “I’m used to sleeping in a little longer.”

“At least you can’t be as bad as Naruto,” Itachi added while burrowing deeper into his pillow. “He’ll go until the afternoon if you let him.”

Sai smiled at him and rolled onto his back. “Yeah, he’s a tough one to wake up. You practically have to shove him off the bed to get any results.”

“Or knock loudly until he yanks the door open so hard you’re sure it’s going to come of its hinges.” Itachi chuckled. “It seems like we both know Naruto’s shenanigans too well.”

“You said shenanigans.” Sai laughed and poked Itachi’s shoulder. “No one says that anymore.”

Itachi leaned up and gave Sai a pointed look. “I just did.”

“No, that’s not right. I’m sorry…” Sai snickered a little bit. “Old people say that.” 

“Are you calling me old?” Itachi leaned up on his elbow, his hair falling over his shoulders, and gave Sai a scrutinizing stare. 

“I have no complaints about your age.” Sai’s eyes trailed down Itachi’s body in a way that clearly showed that he meant what he said. 

“You certainly didn’t last night.” Itachi pointed out, his mouth slightly tilted up into a half-smirk. 

“No, I didn’t,” Sai paused for a few seconds before finishing, “Last night… Was it a one time thing?”

Itachi knew they’d have this conversation at some point, and it wasn’t that he wanted to avoid it, but he also didn’t want to talk about something so heavy this early. “Do you want it to be?”

Sai pulled his legs up, taking some of the covers with him and exposing Itachi’s feet. “No, I don’t.”

Itachi used his feet to grab and pull the covers back down to keep out the cold. “Then it doesn’t have to be.” 

Turning onto his back, Itachi listened to the sound of Sai quietly breathing. Neither of them commented on it further, instead both decided to let it go for now. 

It left Itachi time to wonder when he’d see Sai again. He couldn’t imagine too much time passing since Naruto only lived two doors down from him, and last night they both enjoyed themselves immensely. Next time, he’d make sure to take more time to thoroughly explore everything Sai had to offer. The first time with someone always seemed to go too fast, regardless of the situation. 

“I should probably head home soon.” Sai yawned again and stretched out his arms. “I have some work to do today.”

“Do you want me to call you a cab?” Itachi quietly asked. 

“No. I can probably see if Naruto can give me a ride.” Sai’s fingers briefly reached out and touched Itachi’s shoulder before resting on the bed next to him. “If you don’t mind. He’ll probably be suspicious about me coming from your place this time in the morning.”

“It’s fine, Sai.” Itachi didn’t really care if Naruto knew they had slept together. They had known each other too long to worry about that. “What would Naruto really have to say about it?”

They lay in comfortable silence for awhile longer until Sai finally sat up and got out of bed, slowly picking up and putting on the clothes he wore yesterday. Itachi watched, admiring Sai's now half-naked form and felt a little disappointed when Sai pulled up his pants. The view had been quite nice from where he was lying. 

Getting out of bed, Itachi walked over to his dresser and pulled out a pair of sweats and put them on. While the thought of staying in bed longer appealed to him, it would be rude not to see Sai to the door at the very least. 

They both left the bedroom and walked down the hallway out into the living room where Sai gracefully picked up his jacket from the armchair. He bent down and quickly scribbled something onto the tablet he used last night before heading towards the door. Before he reached it, Itachi put his arm on Sai’s shoulders and stopped him. 

“Hand me your phone so I can give you my number.” Itachi put his number into Sai’s cell phone. “Call me or stop over. I’m usually here.”

“Okay. I left you mine over on the coffee table in case you needed it again.” Sai took his phone and put it into his pocket. 

They stood there before Sai turned the door handle. “See you later, Sai.”

“Yeah, see you around.” Sai opened the door and closed it quietly behind him, leaving Itachi to wonder when he’d see him next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only the epilogue left to go, which will take place a bit later and wrap it up ^^


	7. Epilogue

Naruto chuckled while he finished typing. Leaning back in his chair, he put his hands behind his head and looked up at the ceiling. It felt good to finally be done with his work and ahead of time too. Jiraiya should be extremely pleased and maybe he would get a raise out of it. 

At the very least, he probably had a best seller sitting on his hard drive. And that was something he always wanted. A breakthrough. For one of his books to finally hit it big so he could focus on writing what he wanted to write and not what the old perverted bastard wanted. 

Everything had turned out simple enough. It had been a couple weeks since he figured out that Itachi and Sai were sleeping together, and he had to admit they were both good at acting like nothing had happened. They had probably been going at it for longer. 

It wasn't that he didn't have his suspicions before then. There were a few times when Sai showed up rather early in the morning and asked him for a ride home. Only when he accidentally caught them making out in front of Itachi’s door did he realize for sure, and even then—lest he didn’t disturb them—he quietly backed away and pretended it never happened. 

Watching them the past few months gave him perfect material for his new book, which Jiriaya would love. They had been thinking about breaking into the growing gay romance genre for awhile now. Unfortunately, he didn’t have too many people close to him who were gay or bisexual. And there was no way in hell he’d get on one of those weird sites where perverted women wrote gay smut. He wanted it straight from a reliable source. 

He normally would have winged it—or relentlessly grilled Sai about it—but then he had the luck of Itachi moving in. It would only be a matter of time before someone took an interest in Itachi. And when Sai stopped over so soon... Of course, he had to act shocked and surprised that Sai hit on Itachi. But when Sai knocked on his door, his plan began to fall into place. All he needed to do was let nature take its course so to speak. 

When Sai wanted someone, he always got them no matter who they were or how much he had to work for it. And Jiraiya wanted a bestseller. Naruto only wanted to get the old man off his back and get paid. Itachi, who knew exactly what he wanted. No one could thought hoard better than Itachi. But apparently he, at the very least, wanted laid. That much had been obvious to him. 

Naruto felt pretty damn proud of himself for thinking this through so well. He saved his document and closed it out. Picking up his cell phone, Naruto dialed Jiraiya’s number. After a few rings, he heard a gruff voice on the other line.

 _“Hello?”_ Jiraiya said gruffly. _”Who is this?”_

“Hey, old man. It’s me.” Naruto swiveled around in his chair. “I finally finished that story I told you about a few weeks ago.”

 _“Good, email it to me. Did you have too much trouble getting your research done for it?”_ Jiraiya asked.

“No, everything came together nicely.” Naruto picked up a pen off his desk and twirled it between his fingers. “I’ll send it to you now. Call me later if you have any questions.”

Jiraiya sighed over the phone, and Naruto knew what was coming. _“Okay… but this better be good, Naruto. I don’t want this one to fail.”_

Even though Jiraiya’s voice sounded stern, Naruto knew that was more out of nervousness than anything. Breaking into a new romance outlet was always risky. “It’ll be fine. It turned out good. I have my ways.”

 _“Should I even ask about these ‘ways’?”_ Jiraiya’s voice took on a hint of amusement.

“It’s amazing what a couple of bottles of wine and some whiskey can do when mixed with a few drinking games, horniness, and poker.” Naruto chuckled. Sai was easy enough to get information out of.

 _“With the way you can drink, that’s not even playing fair,”_ Jiraiya mock-scolded. 

“Don’t question my methods, old man. They’re making you money,” Naruto casually pointed out. 

_“They had better be making me money or else I’ll have to put my foot up your ass, you little shit.”_ Jiraiya half-heartedly threatened before a laugh escaped. _I do almost feel bad for whomever you used as your test subjects.”_

“Yeah, whatever. They don’t need your pity, trust me. And I need to go and finish up a few things.” Naruto swirled around in his chair, anxious to get off the phone so that he could finish his work. “So I’ll talk to you later.”

Naruto hung up the phone before Jiraiya could rope him into another lengthy conversation. He had a lot of work to do if he was going to send the story off for publishing. 

~*~  
“Itachi, you have to see this.” Sai hurried into the apartment and quickly closed the door. 

Itachi set his Discover magazine down on the coffee table and looked Sai over. Strange. Sai normally didn’t pant or appear sweaty unless they were having sex. “What happened to you?” He leaned forward to get a closer look. “Did… you… run the entire way here?”

“Fuck all that. This is more important. That dickless asshole… Itachi you have no idea… he used us for this.” Sai thrust a slightly battered hardback towards him. “Take a look at this. He said that he wouldn’t… that asshole. I’m going to murder him in his sleep.”

Itachi chuckled, wondering what Naruto did this time, and took the book out of Sai’s hands. The cover read, _One Chilly Afternoon._ When he read the back cover, he frowned. Itachi glanced up, wondering why he was being asked to look through a gay erotic novel. “How come the story looks so worn out? Have you been reading it a lot?” 

“Never mind that. Just keep going.” Sai stood there, waved his hands at Itachi, impatiently waiting for him to skim through the book. 

Itachi flipped through the pages to pacify Sai, quickly scanning the words the best he could without spending too much time on it. He normally didn’t like romance or erotic novels since they always seemed cheesy and unbelievable to him. At first there didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary until one page caught his attention. Itachi read over it a few more times, trying to process the words in front of him. 

The entire scene… he remembered that night. It was the first time Naruto had ever directly caught them making out. Itachi had pretended he didn’t notice Naruto standing in the hallway before heading back out, and he was pretty sure Sai realized it too. 

At the time, they had both been too preoccupied to care they had been caught. But he remembered that night well. They had just got back from their first official date. They had gone to a symphony and then dinner. 

Naruto. That little shit had used them for inspiration for his story. That explained why Sai looked and acted so flustered and pissed off. At least the scene had been written in such a way that only the three of them would know. And Itachi was sure Naruto did that on purpose. 

“Okay, I get it now.” Rubbing his temples, Itachi thought about what to do. 

“See what I mean.” Sai’s arms started doing a strange flippy thing through the air. Something Itachi had never seen him do before. “I should have been suspicious when he kept asking me to come over and play poker.”

“Sai,” Itachi leaned up and rested his arms on his knees. “Why are you flailing?” 

Sai ignored Itachi’s question, throwing his arms up in the arm once more and heaving out an exasperated sigh. “We have to go over and ask him about it. And then, I don’t know… do something about it. He can’t just use our sex life to make a book.”

“Wait.” Itachi put the book down onto the coffee table, grabbed the side of Sai’s shirt, and pulled him over to the couch. Once he had Sai settled into his lap, Itachi leaned in and kissed him on the forehead. “I see no reason to confront Naruto about this. No one else will be able to figure it out, and he’ll be expecting us to get him back.”

“Where are you going with this?” Sai stopped moving around in Itachi’s lap. “What do you mean we should wait for awhile? Let it go? What if he does it again?”

A smirk slowly formed on Itachi’s face. “Let’s make him wonder for awhile. Draw it out as much as possible until he gets comfortable.”

Sai scooted closer to Itachi, his eyes wide with curiosity. “And then?”

“And then, when he least expects it… we strike.” Itachi’s hand moved up Sai’s shirt. He enjoyed the feel of soft skin and hard muscle underneath. “That will give us plenty of time to figure out what we’ll do to him and how terrible to make it. I’m sure with both of our creative imaginations, we can come up with something fitting.”

“I like the way you think. So devious sometimes.” Sliding in closer, Sai leaned down and kissed him. “And people think you’re the nice one.”

“They don’t know any better and it gives me the element of surprise.” Itachi chuckled before lightly biting Sai’s bottom lip. 

When dealing with Naruto, one had to be devious and cunning. And they would figure out how to return the favor and get him back, but with his hands up Sai’s shirt and their mouths devouring each other, there were more important things to attend to. 

Wrapping his arms around Sai, Itachi stood up and headed towards him bedroom. Naruto’s punishment could wait until later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was at odds whether or not to add this part when I did the rewrite, but since I have another little side oneshot written, I felt why not?


End file.
